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Eating for Strength; 

OB, 

FOOD AND DIET IN THEIR RELATION TO 
HEALTH AND WORK, 

TOGETHER WITH 

SEVERAL HUNDRED RECIPES FOR WHOLE- 
SOME FOODS AND DRINKS. 



By M. L. HOLBROOK, M. D., 

PROFESSOR OP HYGIENE IN THE NEW YORK MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HoSv 

PITAL FOR WOMEN, EDITOR OF THE " HERALD OF HEALTH," 

AUTHOR OF "HYGIENE OF THE BRAIN," '* HOW TO 

STRENGTHEN THE MEMORY," "PARTURITION 

WITHOUT PAIN," ETC., ETC. 



New York: 
M. L. HOLBROOK & CO. 



CM * S 9 a 



■Hi 



COPYRIGHT BY 
M. L. HOLBROOK, 

1888. 






v> 

PREFACE. 



. 



In no period of the world's history has there ever been so 
deep an interest in the subject of foods as at the present. At 
no time since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden has 
agriculture and horticulture been so perfect, and the human 
race supplied with so many choice and nourishing articles of 
diet. And, also, at no time have so many been engaged in 
laborious researches on the nature of that which we eat and its 
relations to health and work. It would almost seem as if the 
time had nearly arrived when mankind would eat to live, 
would feed themselves so as to nourish their bodies most per- 
fectly and render themselves capable of the most labor, and 
least liable to disease. 

The object of this volume is to present the most recent facts 
of science in a way to make them valuable for actual use in 
daily life. There is no doubt but man may double his capa- 
city for work and for enjoyment by improving his dietetic 
habits. Many have already done this, and multitudes more 
are only waiting for the knowledge which will help them to 
doit. A thorough understanding of the different divisions 
of food and their right relation to the needs of the body 
is necessary, and this has been fully stated. Several new 
features have been introduced. To meet the require 
ments of that constantly increasing class who have more 
and more desire to draw their nourishment from the vege- 
table kingdom, carefully prepared and elaborate tables have 
been arranged showing just how much of each particular 
food one needs to consume in order to provide the body with 
the required amount of proteids, carbo-hydrates and fats. 



PBEFACE. 

These tables have been especially prepared for this work and 
are full of interest as well as being of practical value. An- 
other interesting feature of the work relates to the cost of the 
different articles usually consumed, as for instance the cost of 
proteids, fats and carbo-hydrates in oatmeal, beef, mutton, 
corn, eggs, butter, cheese, beer, etc., etc. These tables are so 
arranged as to show at once which are the most economical 
articles for the table and which the most expensive, and will 
be of great value to all who would choose their food wisely, 
and also for those who desire to reduce the cost of living to a 
minimum and yet nourish themselves perfectly. 

The chapter on the use of the apple as a means of preserv* 
ing health and the one on the grape cure will, the author 
believes, meet a need long felt, as will also what has been 
said concerning the importance of the thorough mastication 
of our food. 

The subject of drinks has also been treafed fully, and a 
very large number of recipes for wholesome ones given. What 
has been said on this subject cannot fail to prove helpful to 
those who are in doubt on many points. 

The directions for feeding young and delicate children have 
in practice proved most satisfactory. 

The time is near when a knowledge of the principles of diet 

will be considered as important a part of our education as 

a knowledge of the multiplication table. That this little 

work may help to hasten this time is the sincere desire of the 

author. 

, M. L. H. 






CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER L 

The Uses of Food : 9 

A Happy Illustration 11 



CHAPTER II. 

Classification of Foods : 13 

TheProteids 13 

Fats 14 

The Amyloids, or Carbo-Hydrates 20 

Starch 20 

Sugar 21 

Mineral matter 23 

Water 34 

Amount of Water Required for Men and Women 34 

Amount of Water Required for Animals 35 

Amount Required for the Sick 35 

Purity of Water £6 

Distilled Water 33 

Gaseous Food— The Atmosphere ST 

Accessory Foods 09 



CHAPTER III 

The Daily Requirements of the Body 43 

What is a Day's Work 43 

How much the Heart does 44 

Constituents of a Sufficient Diet 45 

Average Diet of Farm Laborers 43 

Diet According to Work done 43 

Composition of the Body 51 



VI CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Digestion 53 

Mouth Digestion— Mastication 65 

Stomach Digestion 53 

Conditions of Perfect Digestion .- 57 

Chewing Food Thoroughly 53 

The Eat Your Food Slow Society 58 

Conditions that Favor Digestion 59 



CHAPTER V. 

The Sources of our Foods 61 

A Practical Chapter from a Chemical Standpoint 66 

Diet for Hard Work . .. 67 

" " Light Work 67 

Normal Weight in Proportion to Height— a Table 68 

Table of Principal Foods showing quantities required of each to fur- 
nish an ounce of Proteids 69 

Table of Principal Foods showing quantities required of each to fur- 
nish an ounce of Carbohydrates = 70 

Table of Principal Foods showing quantities required of each to fur- 
nish an ounce of Fat , 71 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Economy of Foods 75 

Tables Showing the Relative Cost of Nutriment in Principal Foods 80 

A Practical Lesson in Economy 88 

How to Live Well at Small Expense 89 



CHAPTER VII. 

Simplicity in Living — 93 

Feeding Children 93 

An Argument for Plain Living and High Thinking 91 

How ouv Great Workers Live £4 



CHAPTER VIII 

Food and Intemperance £3 

Why People Want Stimulants • • • • U 

The Cook and Temperance 10J 



CHAPTER IX. 

Alimentary Products of the Vegetable Kingdom 102 

Wheat : 102 

A Beautiful Microscopic Object It4 



CONTENTS. 



VI 1 



Oats 105 

The Most Strengthening Fool 10) 

The Cooking" of Oatmeal ... 109 

Oatmeal Gruel and Milk Ill 

Barley 112 

Eye H2 

Indian Corn 113 

Rice 115 

Best Method of Preparing* Rice 113 

Buckwheat 1 15 

Peas, Beans and Lentils 117 

Composition of Peas, Beans and Lsntils a Table 119 

The Potato 120 

The Sweet Potato 121 

The Onion 122 

Other Roots 122 

The Cabbage 122 

Spinach 123 

Rhubarb 123 

Celery.. 123 

Asparagus. 123 

Lettuce 124 

Cress 124 



CHAPTER X. 

Fruits: 125 

The Apple, its Use and Healthf ulness 127 

Grapes 132 

The Nutritive Value of Grapes 133 

Their Physiological Effects 134 

The Grape Cure - - - 1C5 

Methods of the Grape Cure 133 

Choice of Grapes for the Grape Cure 142 

Other Fruits 143 

Nuts 144 



CHAPTER XL 



Food for Different Ages, Conditions and Seasons— Diet in Infancy 145 

Diet in Childhood and Youth 146 

Diet for Working- Men— For the Brain-Worker 147 

Diet in Old Ag*e 148 

Diet in Training 149 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XII 

Food in Various Diseases— In Dyspepsia 155 

In Fevers 157 

In Constipation 7 153 

In Bright's Disease— Chronic Rheumatism 159 

In Gout— Diabetes 161 

In Diarrhea and Summer Complaints— Consumption 162 

In Nervous Diseases 163 

Diet in Cancer— Ulceration of the Stomach 164 

For the Thin— Marasmus 165 

For Inebriates 166 

For Orphan Asylums, Prisons, etc 167 

Pure Food 168 

Climate and Seasons— Cookery 169 

RECIPES. 

Soups 171 

Porridges including Mushes : 174. 

Remarks, Rules and Recipes for Making Good Bread 175 

To Cook Eggs • 187 

Preparations of Cheese 189 

Sandwiches 189 

Cooking Vegetables 190 

Pies and Pie Pastry 196 

Custards • • 201 

Puddings • 203 

Cakes • 206 

Molded Farinacea 208 

Miscellaneous Dishes 239 

Simple Beverages from Fruits . . . . \ 220 

Lemonades .....»...; 221 

Drinks from Various Substances. 333 

Ices ••• .... 2£5 

Milk • •■•• 226 

Tea ••• 232 

Cocoa 235 

Chocolate 235 

Methods of Preparing Tea, Coffee, Cocoa, etc. 236 



CHAPTER I. 

THE USES OF FOOD. 

Why do human beings eat ? Why do all animals, 
from the simplest worm to the most civilized man, 
depend for life on food and drink ? Why does a 
child become hungry, and if deprived of food be- 
yond a certain time, become ravenous ? Why does 
a hard-working man enjoy his food so well, and de- 
mand so much of it ? Why do great men and pow- 
erful thinkers eat so abundantly ? Why so many 
millions of acres of land devoted to agriculture and 
horticulture ? Why so many more farmers produc- 
ing food than people of any other occupation ? It 
is because food is so necessary to life and health. 
What, then, are the uses which it performs ? 

1. It furnishes material from which to construct 
the body. The child receives milk from its mother's 
breast, which increases its size, and a large body is 
the result. Farmers increase or diminish the weight 
of domestic animals, within a certain limit, by in- 
creasing or diminishing the food supplied to them. 
The development, within constitutional limits, to 
which a child may attain is, to some extent, de- 
pendent on the supply of food it receives and di- 
gests. Abundance of food, with plenty of air, exer- 
cise and sleep, insures a healthier growth than a 
scanty diet. 

1* (9) 



10 USES OF FOOD. 

2. Another use of food is to replenish the loss 
that goes on in the body from its daily wear and tear. 
This waste varies with different persons, and with 
the amount of work done. Great workers wear out, 
use up daily several pounds of blood. New food is 
demanded to make good this loss. A month of sick- 
ness sometimes wastes away a third of the weight 
of the body ; but a hearty appetite and food restore 
it to its full size. There are men of powerful frames 
who, if they do hard work, rapidly lose many 
pounds of their bodily weight, and require much food 
to replace it. Small workers and lazy, idle people 
eat less ; and there are many corseted and inactive 
young women, and idle young men, who waste little 
of the tissue of the body,, and who eat little. It is not 
a bad sign to see healthy people eat heartily ; they 
must do it to work and live. 

3. Another use of food is to maintain the heat of 
the body. So important is this, that it has been 
computed that four-fifths of our nutriment is used 
to maintain a bodily temperature of 98i degrees. 
In order to understand the heat-producing power of 
food, let any one go in cold weather without eating 
for a day and still continue exposing himself to the 
cold, and he will learn that food will warm his body 
more effectually than clothing or fire. 

4. Still another very important use of food is to 
furnish force. This comes in no other way. When 
plants grow they store up the energy of the sun- 
shine, and. when we consume these plants this 
energy is transferred to our bodies. It is manifested 
in many ways. First, in the form of motion ; then 
in the form of sensation : feeling, seeing, hearing 
and thinking. Our ability to do any of these things 



A HAPPY ILLUSTRATION. 11 

is conferred by food. The body has the peculiar 
power of abstracting its force from what we eat. 
Go without food, and all these functions of the- 
body gradually die away, and life becomes ex- 
tinct. To illustrate. Give a child a hickory bow 
and arrow. He bends the bow on its string, ad- 
justs the arrow and pulls the string back a few 
inches. Now what has he done ? He has stored up 
in the bow a part of the strength of his arm. But 
how did he get that strength ? The sunshine of last 
summer stored it up in the bread and potatoes he 
has eaten. His body has the power to unfasten this 
force and apply it to bending the bow. When he 
lets go of the string the arrow flies away, and that 
force is, so far as he is concerned, spent. The food 
we eat does for us what the coal does for the engine 
on the railroad track, it furnishes the motive power; 
only the body is a complicated living machine and 
can think and feel, which the engine cannot do. 

To recapitulate : we eat, then, to increase the size 
of the body; to supply the waste or loss by its 
daily wear and tear ; to maintain a proper degree 
of warmth and to supply the energy by which to do 
work. 



CHAPTER II. 
CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

The classification of foods is quite simple. All 
the substances used come under one of the follow- 
ing divisions : 

1/ Proteids, or albuminous foods. 

2. Fats, sometimes called hydro-carbons. 

3. Amyloids, or carbo-hydrates. 

4. Mineral matter. 

5. Water. 

6. Gaseous food, or air. 

7. Accessory foods, or condiments. 

THE PROTEIDS. 

The proteids are also known as albuminoids and 
nitrogenous substances. Their principle use is to 
construct and repair the active tissues of the body 
and to furnish material out of which to form the 
various digestive fluids, as the saliva of the mouth, 
the gastric juice of the stomach, the bile of the 
liver, and juices of the pancreas. The nerves, the 
muscles and the glands are composed of living mat- 
ter, of protoplasm, and cannot be built up, or the 
glands furnish their secretions without albuminous 
matter. Every structure in the body in which any 
form of force is manifested is mainly built up of 

(13) 



14 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

these proteids. Muscular tissue is a good example; 
the brain cells are also examples. 

The proteids are complex ^bodies and contain car- 
bon, 53 parts; oxygen, 21; hydrogen, 7; nitrogen, 
15, and sulphur 1. The proteids of the body have 
only a slight affinity for oxygen, and, consequently, 
are not readily consumed. They grow old in time 
and decay, but do not burn up. What is known as 
the protoplasm, or living matter of our bodies, is 
composed of proteids, and we all know how living 
matter resists decay and change. 

The principal sources of proteids are the muscu- 
lar parts of animals, eggs of which the white or 
albumen is almost a pure proteid, the gluten of 
grains, the casein or curd of .milk and the vegeta- 
ble casein of peas, beans and cereals. 

The proteids are digested in the stomach, this 
organ not digesting either starches or fats. Diges- 
tion makes them very soluble, and they are easily 
taken up through the walls of the digestive organs. 
In their soluble condition they are called peptones 
instead of proteids. If they were to remain soluble 
while in the blood there would be danger of their 
passing out through the kidneys, and so they are 
changed again to proteids in the blood. 

THE FATS. 

The fats are also called hydro-carbons. They con- [ 
tain some oxygen, but never enough to satisfy the 
affinities of the carbon and hydrogen. They are 
powerful generators of heat. An ounce of fat when 
burned produces about two and half times as much 
heat as dry starch or sugar. Some idea of its heat- 
ing properties may be gained by the fact that ten 



FAT AND ANIMAL HEAT. 15 

grains of fat burned will raise the temperature of 
twenty-three pounds of water one degree. This 
would give sufficient force to raise 18.000 pounds 
one foot high. Their uses are to maintain ani- 
mal heat and to liberate force. The man who 
does a hard day's work, does so by virtue of the 
fact that he is, so far as his labor is concerned, 
a living engine. The muscles do not furnish 
the strength, they only transmit it. The engine 
does not furnish the power; that comes from the 
steam so highly charged with heat from the burn- 
ing fuel. 

Qu e of its uses is to prevent the loss of animal 
heat. \A thick layer of fat is very useful in dimin- 
ishing the chances of catching cold on exposure 
to drafts ; and where the coating of fat under the 
skin is deficient or absent we must use an additional 
quantity of warmer clothing. A fat person suffers 
less from the cold, other things being equal, than a 
lean one, and does not require so much flannel to 
keep him warm. In very cold latitudes a layer of 
fat under the skin is a useful protection ; but in hot 
climates it becomes oppressive, as we may see by 
observing corpulent persons or fat animals during 
the high heat of summer. In many animals, es- 
pecially those of tropical climates where the sum- 
mer heat is great, although the cold of winter may 
also be considerable, we find that fat, instead of 
being uniformly distributed over the body, is col- 
lected in masses in certain parts, as in the Brahmin 
bull of India, in the yak of Tartary, in the Ameri- 
can buffalo, as well as in the camel of Africa, on 
whose back a huge lump of fat is found. On a care- 
ful examination of these lumps of fat, especially in 



16 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS, 

a well fed camel, we find them firm and solid, pro- 
jecting upwards ; but at times it appears that they 
lose this firm solidity and: become limp, swinging 
from side to side and doubling up like a half empty 
bag. The cause of this is, we are told, that when ! 
their food is insufficient the hump becomes loose and 
flabby, a large proportion of fat having been ab 
sorbed. If the animal be kept without food for sev- 
eral days this protuberance almost entirely disap- 
pears. If the animal is well fed again the hump re- 
gains its former size. What has become of this fat? 
Some has undergone combustion to keep up heat, 
while the remainder may have been used to supply 
the waste of some organ of the body. The blood 
contains about one half of one per cent, of fat ; the 
muscles from three to four per cent., and the brain 
eight or nine per cent. The nerves contain much 
more, sometimes as high as 22 per cent. Its use is 
to form a layer around the conducting part to iso- 
late it. Fat may be supplied to the body in many 
ways, especially by fatty foods, starch and sugar. 
The two last are converted into fat within' the body. 
The fatty parts of the body are not always of the 
same quality. Those accustomed to the fattening 
of animals know that sometimes the fat on them is 
soft and poor, and at others pure and hard, depend- 
ing mainly upon the kind of food they have eaten 
Nurses understand that some foods stick fast, while 
others are fickle and easily squandered. It seems 
that fats laid on rapidly are not so permanent as 
those more slowly acquired. One of the causes of 
consumption is the insufficiency of fat in the body. 
Either the stomach does not digest enough, or the 
food may be deficient in it. fj)i\ Hughes Bennett 



DISLIKE FOR FATTY FOOD. 17 

used to tell his students that a frequent cause of 
consumption was the high price of butter and the 
great abundance of pastry cooks. v The latter Dr. 
Bennett accused of causing consumption among the 
upper classes by disordering the digestion of young- 
girls with pies, pastry and other things that spoil 
their appetites for the more substantial articles of 
food. Many people have a strong dislike to fatty 
foods, and even some physicians have advocated 
that this was a natural instinct ; but the fact that 
there is in the body an arrangement for the diges- 
tion of fatty matter is a strong argument in favor 
of its use in a suitable amount. Dr. Brown says : 
" There are many children who refuse to eat a piece 
of fat meat. They will eat the lean, but cut off the 
fat, and submit to punishment rather than eat it. 
The instinct of the child is perfectly right, and its 
indications are not to be disregarded." Fat swal- 
lowed under compulsion generally disagrees with a 
child and makes it ill. The proper thing to do in 
such cases is to give it in some more agreeable 
form. Nuts contain a sufficient amount of oil ; and 
sweet fruits, abundant in sugar, may to some ex- 
tent supply its place. 

If a lump of butter is swallowed by itself it will 
very likely make one sick, but spread upon bread 
it can be taken without discomfort. The reason of 
this is plain : we get the oily substance in a finer state 
of subdivision, so that it is more easily digested. 
A lump of fat swallowed alone would melt in the 
stomach and float about there without being digest- 
ed, would begin to decompose and yield acrid bodies 
which would irritate the stomach and perhaps cause 
severe headache. When finely comminuted with 



18 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

bread it forms a creamy mass, which passes quickly 
into the duodenum where it is digested. Many a 
child has been made sick by a piece of fat bacon 
swallowed with only a small piece of bread and a 
large piece of butter. 

Fatty foods are most useful in bronchitis, con- 
sumption and nervous diseases. Hard brain work 
uses up a great amount of force, and this is largely 
supplied by the consumption of the fats, starch and 
sugar. A well known English lawyer always takes 
a meal of some easily digested fatty food before 
making a great intellectual effort, and an English 
physician has found that in his intellectual work he 
is best sustained by considerable of the same ma- 
terial. 

We have seen that the nervous system contains 
much fat, and we may imagine that if the food 
is deficient in it the brain will suffer Very thin 
people are more likely to be nervous than fat 
ones ; and it is said that Bantingism; practiced to 
cure corpulency has caused many porsons to be- 
come very nervous. It does not follow because fat 
is necessary that people should eat all they can of 
it. It should be taken in reasonable quantities^ 
and always thoroughly comminuted and mixed 
with other foods which will divide it up into very 
small particles, else it may cause indigestion and 
pass out of the system unabsorbed. Good butter, 
cream, olive oil and nuts are rich in fat, and in a 
form most agreeable. Potatoes, corn-meal, oatmeal 
and nuts containing starch, are all fat producers. 
We once advised a boy who rejected every form of 
fat usually found on his mother's table, to eat freely 
of hickory nuts, and it proved to be very good 



FORMULA FOU FOOD. 19 

advice for him. That popular nut, the peanut, 
which even many physicians condemn as indiges- 
tible, has been of like service to others. 

The chemical formula for fat is, carbon 10, hydro- 
gen 18, oxygen 1. Its original source is the vege- 
table kingdom, in which it abounds. Palm oil, 
olive oil, cottonseed oil, flax-seed oil, cocoanut oil, 
peanut oil, etc., are examples. 

Fat is a very concentrated fuel food, and is not in 
any way digested in either the mouth or stomach, 
but in the duodenum, where it is emulsionized, or 
broken up into very minute globules capable of be- 
ing passed through the absorbent vessels. 

Fat often disturbs delicate stomachs, and persons 
with such should choose the most agreeable kind. 

Fat frequently become rancid, and in this state 
is very injurious to the civilized stomach, causing 
dyspepsia, sick headache, heartburn, etc. 

Besides these important and principal functions of 
fat, it has minor uses in the processes of digestion, 
assimilation and nutrition, and, it is believed, in the 
formation of bile. Food digests more readily if a 
certain amount of fat is mixed with it. It also plays 
an important part in the formation of cells, blood 
corpuscles, and even the generation of blood. It is 
present in large quantities in the tubules of the 
nerves, insulating them so that the nervous force is 
not dissipated, but travels along the nerve to its 
center; and in all the nervous centers serving an 
important function there. 

The distribution of it in every tissue, and its ac- 
cumulation around certain organs, serves to fill up 
the cavities of the body and give roundness to the 
form, equalizing the external pressure diminishing 



20 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

friction ; and, by its bad conducting property, re- 
taining animal heat. Fat, therefore, must ever be 
regarded as highly important to the physical devel- 
opment of the body, and any system of diet that 
excludes it is faulty and to be condemned. 

THE AMYLOIDS OR CARBO-HYDRATES. 

This class of foods is best represented by starch 
and sugar. They are called amyloids because this 
word, from the Greek, means resembling starch, 
They are also called carbo-hydrates because chemi- 
cally composed of carbon and water. The chemical 
formula for starch is carbon, 6 ; hydrogen, 10 ; 
oxygen, 5. That of sugar is slightly different ; 
cane sugar , being, carbon, 12; hydrogen, 11; oxy- 
gen, 11, and grape sugar being, carbon, 12; hydro- 
gen, 12, and oxygen, 12. 

STARCH. 

Starch and sugar have their origin in the veg- 
etable kingdom. Starch abounds in all the grains, 
in rice, in peas and beans, and in the common 
and sweet potato. It is also present in many 
other substances. Starch is insoluble in water, and 
this is a wise provision of nature; otherwise it 
would be easily dissolved by the rains and washed 
out of plants. In its insoluble state it is useless as 
a food, but during the process of digestion it is con- 
verted first into soluble dextrine, which has the 
same chemical formula as grape sugar, and a little 
later into grape sugar itself. The change takes 
place partly in the mouth by the action of the saliva 
during the process of mastication, but owing to the 



SUGAR. 21 

acidity of the gastric juice of the stomach the 
digestion of starch ceases soon after it reaches this 
organ. After the food has been passed into the duo- 
denum, where the secretions are akaline, the diges- 
tion of its starch proceeds very rapidly until it has 
been completely converted into grape sugar, in 
which state it is soluble and easily absorbed. If the 
food has not been properly masticated and mixed 
with saliva in the mouth it is liable to embarrass 
the stomach and cause indigestion ; indeed this is 
one of the most fruitful sources of dyspepsia. On 
the other hand, if the food has been thoroughly 
masticated and allowed to remain in the mouth 
until it has been converted into a milk-like condi- 
tion, even raw and uncooked starch is so thor- 
oughly changed, as not to disturb the digestion of 
the albuminoids as it goes on in the stomach. 

It is well known that many persons are not able 
to digest the starch of bread. By toasting it, how- 
ever, the heat changes a portion of it into dextrine, 
in the same manner as the saliva does. A little 
more chewing would accomplish the same result. 

SUGARS. 

Sugars, although very different in their charac- 
ter and nature from starch, are all carbo-hydrates. 
Sugars may be divided into crystaline or cane and 
into glucose or grape sugar. The latter is the food 
of young plants, and is found in all young shoots. 
It does not need to be digested ; but it is believed 
that cane sugar is converted into grape sugar, 
or at least into invert sugar, in the alimentary 
canal. Experiments made by Sir William Eoberts, 
M. D., go to show that considerable cane sugar 



22 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

in food taken into a healthy stomach does not re- 
tard digestion. 

1 The carbo-hydrates form a most important part of 
our food and are contained in nearly everything we 
eat. They are fuel foods and supply animal heat. 
They are also, like fats, an important source of the 
force or strength of the body. 

HEATING POWER OF TEN GRAINS OF THE VARIOUS 
SUBSTANCES IN THEIR NATURAL STATE. 

Lbs. of water raised IS F. 

Grape sugar 8.42 

Cane sugar . . . . ... . 8.61 

Starch from Arrow-root . . . .10.06 

Butter . . 18.60 

Beef fat . ... . . . . . . 20.91 

From this it will be seen that fat is more than 
twice as valuable a heat-producing agent as starch. 

There is also the same difference in the amount 
of work these substances will accomplish when 
burned, as the following table will show : 

MOTIVE POWER OF TEN GRAINS OF THE SUBSTANCE 
IN ITS NATURAL STATE. 

Lbs. lifted one foot high. 
Grape sugar . ... . . . 6,500 

Cane sugar 6,647 

Arrow-root ....... 7,766 

Butter . . . . . . . 14,441 

Beef fat . . . .... 16,142 

MINERAL MATTER. 

We read in the Bible that God created man out 
of the dust of the earth. Whether this is to be in- 
terpreted literally or figuratively I leave to theolo- 



ONE ORGAN DIFFERS FROM ANOTHER. 23 

gians to decide. For the scientist it has plainly a 
symbolical significance. The materials of which 
our bodies are composed are partly earthy, and it 
is not possible to think of them as composed with- 
out earthy substances. We call these constituents 
salts, and if they were not present in our food life 
could hardly be continued as at present. 

There is a very simple method by which any one 
can obtain the salts of any organism. We have 
but to burn that body and most of them remain 
as ashes. Whatever belongs to the organic world 
volatilizes in vapor and smoke. The same result is 
reached by the slow process of decomposition. The 
salts remain while the organic part of the organ- 
ism escapes into the atmosphere. 

Only a limited number of minerals take part in the 
formation of our bodies. Each organ has a com- 
position of its own. The same parts in different 
men and animals are of nearly the same composi- 
tion, but one organ differs from another in a slight 
degree. The bones, the hearts, the stomachs of all 
animals are nearly the same, but the composition 
of the heart and stomach in the same person differs. 

These facts prove the great importance of the 
mineral matter of our food. Had each organ the 
same composition a less variety of mineral matter 
wxmld suffice ; but as each demands a special salt 
for itself there must be considerable variety. In 
one organ is needed the salts of potash ; in another, 
those of soda or phosphorus. Another reason for 
variety is the fact that the processes of osmose 
and endosmose, or the exchange of fluids inside 
and outside the cells, depend largely on the fact 
that the constituents of the fluids on one side of 



24 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

the walls of these structures differ from those on 
the other side. Without this difference no change, 
or scarcely any, would take place, and the growth 
and nutrition of each part would come to a stand- 
still for want of new and appropriate material. 

Professor Forster, of Munchen, has made a large 
number of experiments to discover the importance 
of mineral matter in our food. Two pigeons were 
taken for one experiment and fed on food contain- 
ing every other requisite : albumen, carbo-hydrates, 
etc., but entirely freed from all mineral matter. 
These pigeons took their food regularly, but soon 
lost all their liveliness and sat dumb and motion- 
less on the bars of their cages. After the tenth day 
they ate but little and lost in flesh. On the twenty- 
fourth day one of them had a fit, and both refused 
to eat. He then fed them by compulsion. One 
died on the twenty-sixth day by a return of the fit, 
and the other lived on to the thirty-first day, when 
it also had a fit from which it did not recover. An 
examination of the bodies of the pigeons revealed 
no traces of any disturbance of digestion. 

He then took a dog and fed him in the same man- 
ner. He soon showed signs of weariness, lay sad 
and dull in his corner, had sudden fits as of mad- 
ness, became weak and uncertain in his motions, 
trembled and showed signs of nervousness, became 
weaker and weaker till he could scarcely crawl, 
and still there was no disturbance in the digestion 
of his food. 

Another pigeon was taken and fed on food free 
from mineral matter by compulsion. It died in 
thirteen days, and yet an examination of its body 
showed that it had been well nourished and the 



EXPERIMENTS ON ANIMALS. 25 

organs were sound. The food had apparently been 
well digested. The absence of mineral matter had 
not prevented digestion until after several days, 
but had caused death. The animals had all shown 
muscular weakness and trembling, and in one case 
a sort of paralysis, as if the spinal cord and brain had 
been affected. The nervous system suffered most; in- 
deed, it was apparent that the nervous weakness 
was caused by the absence of mineral salts, and we 
must from this look on them as necessary to excite 
and enliven the brain and nerves, and especially 
promote nutrition and secretion. We know that 
living a long time on pickled meat, salt pork or 
corned beef causes a sort of scurvy which is only 
cured by the use of fresh vegetables and fruit. 
Now, the brine used to preserve the flesh dissolves 
a considerable part of the mineral constituents of 
the meat which the fresh vegetables replace. 

Dr. Forster's investigations gave one other re- 
sult. He found that the animals fed by compulsion 
on food freed from its mineral matter died sooner 
than those not fed at all. The explanation he gives 
for this is, that if no food is given the body is nour- 
ished on itself, and, consequently, a supply of min- 
eral matter is obtained from the decompose^! flesh 
of the body ; but when nourished on food free from 
salts there is no demand from the body for albumen 
and carbo-hydrates, and so no mineral matter is 
received from its decomposition. The salts of our 
food are more necessary to the growing organ- 
ism than for the adult. They may be divided into 
two kinds — the fixed and the non-fixed. The for- 
mer includes those firmly united to the tissues of 



28 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

the bones ; the latter those dissolved and circulating 
in the blood. 

The excess of salts does not make tissues richer 
in them, because this excess is excreted almost im- 
mediately, except, perhaps, in the case of persons 
advanced in years, whose powers of excretion are 
weakened and whose lime salts may accumulate in 
excess and cause harm. 

Let us now turn our attention to the salts which 
are found in our tissues. We find the following 
always present : potash, soda, lime, magnesia and 
iron. In part these minerals are in union with 
chlorine and in part with carbonic acid, but most- 
ly with phosphoric acid. In the bones the lime 
salts are more abundant and important. For 
the other organs the potash and soda salts are 
necessary. Especially important are the potash 
salts for the muscular tissues ; for the serum of the 
blood the soda salts are most important. In the 
blood corpuscles potash salts and iron are predomi- 
nant. Scarcely a trace of potash is round in the 
serum of the blood. These subtances are all de- 
rived from our food and drink ; the only 'one added 
artificially is chloride of sodium, or common salt. 
This, too, is found in the food, but, apparently, in 
quantities too small for the requirements of the 
system. 

The bones are built mainly of phosphate of lime, 
phosphate of magnesia and carbonate of lime ; the 
former constituting the principal part of their 
earthy constituents. The phosphoric acid and pot- 
ash are essential constituents of the fluids of the 
flesh and are dissolved in them. One may notice 
on cooked beef a white incrustation over its sur- 



EXPERIMENTS ON LAMBS. 27 

face when it comes to the table. This is the phos- 
phate of magnesia, formed by a union of the 
phosphoric acid in the flesh with the lime and 
magnesia in the water in which the meat has 
been boiled. 

Phosphoric acid is the most abundant of all the 
minerals of the body, and it is also most abundant 
in the food of the vegetable-eating animals. 

Experiments have been made to discover if one 
salt might be substituted for another in the body, 
but without success. Three growing lambs were 
taken for this experiment. One was fed on food 
deficient in phosphoric acid, another on food defi- 
cient in lime, and a third w T as fed normally. The first 
two became emaciated and at the end of twenty- 
four days were near their end, when all three were 
slaughtered. There was no great difference in 
the composition of the bones of any of them, only 
this : those of the poorly fed animals were less rich 
in fat and less perfectly developed. 

In some parts of Germany no water is given to 
children until it has been boiled to kill the germs of 
any disease present. This practice has certain ad- 
vantages and certain disadvantages for the poor, 
where food is not abundant. The boiling water de- 
posits on the kettle its lime, and this is a loss of so 
much mineral matter. It kills the germs, which is 
beneficial. If the child is suitably fed no harm is 
done, but a positive benefit ; but if not well fed it is 
a loss to the bones to lose the lime in the w r ater. 
Pure, fresh water from springs does not contain 
germs, and if it is used there is no advantage in 
boiling it. This objection would not have any force 
in our country where food is so abundant. 



28 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

Let us now look at the potash and soda salts. 
Potash is a very remarkable material; phosphate 
of potash is an essential constituent of the muscles 
and also of the blood corpuscles. In the serum of 
the blood, however, it is an abnormal constituent, 
causing paralysis of the heart, and frequently sud- 
den death. One may, without especial danger, take 
chlorate or carbonate of potash through the stcfcn- 
ach, as is often the case by prescriptions of phy- 
sicians. The same dose, or even a less one, how- 
ever, introduced directly into the circulation causes 
death. A dog has been killed instantly by the in- 
jection of only one decigramme of the chlorate of 
potash into an artery. 

Bunge experimented on dogs with flesh extract 
and found that, according to the size of the ani- 
mal, a dose of from 15 to 25 grammes was deadly. 
Now, 25 grammes of flesh extract contain 2.5 
grammes of phosphate of potash, and 2.3 grammes 
of this substance given to a dog caused death, ac- 
companied by the same symptoms as with 25 
grammes of flesh extract. Johannus Ranke says 
that potash is a substance which, if it accumulates 
in the flesh cells or nerve cells, causes irritation of 
the muscles and paralysis of the nerves. 

We find here a riddle. How is it that this material 
is a necessary constituent of the firm material of our 
bodies, but so deadly in the serum of our blood ? Dr. 
Bunge suggests that the potash and soda-salts de- 
compose each other, as is the case when mixed in 
the laboratory, and allowed to crystalyze, new com- 
pounds being formed, one being chloride of potas- 
sium and the other carbonate of soda. 

Another fact comes to light in this investigation^ 



WHY SALT IS NECESSARY. 29 

that the plant-eating animals require more common 
! salt than the flesh-eating ones. Some of them are 
so greedy for salt that they will travel long dis- 
1 tances to salt licks in order to obtain it, which is 
never the case with carniverous animals. Now, if 
! we compare the food of the flesh-eaters with that 
of the herbivora we find about the same amount 
of chloride of sodium (common salt), but the 
amount of potash salts in the food of vegetable- 
eating animals is from two to four times as great. 
Bunge suggests that the reason why the vegetable- 
eaters require more salt is to decompose or change 
the form of the great excess of potash salts, which 
we have seen may be very injurious ; or may not 
the potash draw so heavily on the chloride of sodium 
in the body as to make the addition of it in our food 
necessary in order to maintain the equilibrium of 
the body ? In order to test this question scientific- 
ally, Bunge made an experiment on himself. First, 
he ate food for five days with such exactness as to 
bring the excretion of the salts to a regular and 
constant amount. On the fifth day he added to his 
food eighteen grammes of phosphate of potash. 
Although he had not added any chloride of sodium 
there was not only an immediate increase of excre- 
tion of potash salts, but of soda salts also. Repeated 
experiments gave the same results. He estimated 
that by the addition of twelve grammes of potash 
salts to the food, nearly half of the soda salts of the 
blood would be extracted. This, he thinks, proved 
his hypothesis. Potash in small quantities with- 
draws from the body chlorine and sodium, or its 
oxide, soda, both constituents of common salt, and 
this requires the addition of it to our food. 



30 



CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS, 



We will now compare a few principal articles of 
food and see the relative amount of potash and soda 
salts therein ; and see, also, how deficient some of 
them are in soda, and how excessive is the potash 
in others, See the proportion in 100 grammes of the 
following articles : 





Potash Salts. 


Soda Salts. 




Rice . 


. 1.04 grammes. 0.028 grammes 


Apples . 


10.6 ' 


0.070 


u 


Beans 


, 12. ' 


0.16-0-18 


u 


Strawberries 


22. ' 


4 0.20 


u 


Wheat 


. 4.7-5.8 ' 


0.14-0.32 


(C 


Peas 


6.-68 


' 0.19-0.30 


u 


Hye . 


. 5 7-6.1 l 


0.07-.0.45 


tc 


Potatoes 


20.28 


1 0.32-0.58 


t( 


Mother's Milk 


. 5.3-6 


0.91-2.2 


u 


Cow's Milk . 


9.1-17 ' 


1.1-10 


11 



From this it may be seen at a glance that all veg- 
etables contain less soda than milk; and they all 
contain, rice excepted, more potash than this arti- 
cle. If potash, as shown by Bunge, withdraws so- 
da from the body, it may be seen that the addition 
of common salt to the food poor in soda is a scien- 
tific necessity. 

"We also see why a babe nourished on fts mother's 
milk does not require the addition of common salt. 
Its food contains less potash salts and more soda 
salts than almost any other article of food. 

Liebig remarked that there seemed to be a popu- 
lar instinct to add more salt to those articles of food 
which were rich in starch, as, for instance, wheat 
meal, peas and beans, and it seems that these are 
the very ones which contain most potash. 

Let us now look at this subject from another 
standpoint. Assuming that only 100 grammes of 
albumen is necessary daily for the maintenance of 
the body, if we estimate the amount of potash con- 



SALT ON POTATOES. 31 

tained in the different kinds of food necessary to 
furnish these salts, we would have the following : 



Rice 


. 1.24 grammes 


Potash. 


Wheat and Rye 


2.-4.5 


14 


.4 


Peas and Beans . 


. 4.5 


u 


It 


Barley 


4.9-5.39 


tC 


ti 


Cow's Milk . 


. 4.4-4.7 


u 


u 


Woman's Milk 


4.8-5.3 


it 


It 


Potatoes 


- 42. ' 


(4 


u 



We have seen that rice is very deficient in potash 
and soda. One who nourished himself on it would 
never suffer from an excess of potash salts, for it 
would not withdraw from the body sodium and 
chlorine. And it may be remembered that rice food 
can be eaten and enjoyed without salt. Junghuhm 
states that whole nations of rice-eating people take 
this food without salt, and only with the addition of 
pepper. It is true that Europeans and Americans 
do not relish rice without this condiment. It is 
not a physiological necessity, however, but a habit 
which induces its use. 

On the other hand, how would it be with a per- 
son living on potatoes ? He would take daily forty- 
two grammes of potash, or over thirty times more 
than he who lived on rice. We said previously that 
twelve grammes of potash were sufficient to with- 
draw half the soda from the blood. How, then, 
with 42 grammes ? And in practice we know that 
large quantities of salt is a physiological necessity 
for those who live mainly on potatoes. 

In this connection it may be remarked that pot- 
ash salts in large quantities affect unfavorably the 
mucus membrane of the digestive tract, and es- 
pecially the stomach. Consequently, all those who 



32 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

suffer from weakness of the stomach should avoid 
potatoes and substitute rice instead. Rice is also 
more easily digested than potatoes for other rea- 
sons. It contains less cellular, or woody and indi- 
gestible matter, enclosing the starch cells. 

One writer on food (Mulder) goes so far in his 
opposition to potatoes as an article of diet, as to de- 
clare it would be a blessing to the race to banish 
them from the planet and substitute rice. 

Dr. Bunge has collected facts concerning the use 
of salt among various people. He finds that those 
who live mainly on flesh, as hunters, fishermen and 
nomadic tribes, do not care for salt. Of the Samoy- 
den he says: "They know nothing of bread and 
but little of roots. Flesh and fish constitute their 
daily food. The use of salt is unknown though easi- 
ly attainable from the sea. The Tungusen eat no 
raw flesh, but cook it in fresh water and use no salt 
on it. The Dolganen and Juralkan, in North Sibe- 
ria, possess many salt mines, but they never use 
salt, unless as a medicine. Their food is fish and 
reindeer flesh." 

Wrange writes concerning the Tschuktschen : 
"Their food is flesh, and they use no salt, but have 
actual repugnance to it." 

Prof. Schwartz dwelt in the land of the Tungu- 
sen three years ; lived on the flesh of wild birds 
and reindeer without the addition of salt, and felt 
no need for it. 

There are tribes of flesh-eating men in both tro- 
pical India and Africa who use no salt; they even 
laugh at those who do use it. 

On the other hand, most of the native tribes of 
Africa cultivate the soil. Mungo Park says : " The 



AFRICAN CRAVING FOR SALT. 33 

Mandigos breakfast early on a porridge made of 
meal and water, flavored with the rind of tamarind 
to give it relish. About two they eat a meal con- 
sisting of pudding made of corn meal, milk and 
vegetable butter. Their chief meal is eaten late at 
night, and consists of broth made with corn meal, 
wheat meal with vegetables, with sometimes a little 
flesh and vegetable butter. They are principally 
vegetarians/' Concerning salt, he says: "They 
have a great craving for it. If a child gets a piece 
of rock salt from a European it eats it as our chil- 
dren do sugar. The poor classes look upon a man 
who can afford salt as a rich man." Park's own 
experience was that he had a painful craving for 
salt which could not be described. On the west 
coast of Africa a man would sell his wife or child 
for salt. A war for a salt spring between different 
tribes is not uncommon. To them salt is no luxury, 
but a necessity. On the other hand, it cannot be 
denied that many persons who have adopted a wise, 
nutritious vegetable diet, consisting largely of nuts, 
fruit and grains, either partially or with, perhaps, 
eggs and milk, abstain from salt, as they believe, 
to advantage, and it is pretty certain that a major- 
ity of people consume far too much of it, more as 
a condiment than to meet physiological needs. 
Something yet has to be learned on this import- 
ant subject. 

Many of the facts and statements of this chapter 
are drawn from German sources, and especially 
from a little work entitled, "Die Modernen Prin- 
cipien der Ernahrung," nach v. Pettenkofer and 
Voit, von Dr. Aug. Guckerson, a most valuable 
little work, putting in popular language the scien- 

2* 



34: CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

tific experiments of the most learned German stu- 
dents of man's food— a subject now attracting more 
attention than at any former time. 

WATER. 

Water is a liquid food. It constitutes a part of 
every tissue in an uncombined state, and a part of 
it chemically combined with the tissues, so that it 
cannot be driven off by evaporation. When water 
is taken into the system, it assists in building up 
the organs and repairing them when worn out. 

Water is the natural beverage of man. About 
eighty-seven per cent, of our bodies is water. It 
wastes with every breath and motion, and this 
waste must be restored with a fresh supply. 

It softens and holds in solution and suspension 
the solid part of our foods, so that it will flow in the 
veins and arteries. 

It maintains a proper bulk to both blood and tis- 
sues, rendering them mobile and soft instead of 
dry and hard. 

It holds in solution the waste matter of the body, 
and transports it out of the system. 

It takes up the waste heat of the body, and carries 
it away. 

It slacks our thirst, and cools the blood in warm 
weather. 

It may be the vehicle, taken hot, of carrying 
heat into the circulation after exposure to cold 
and damp. 

AMOUNT OF WATER REQUIRED FOR MEN AND 
WOMEN. 

An adult requires daily from three to six pints of 
water for nutrition. Not far from one-third of this 



AMOUNT OF WATER REQUIRED. 35 

is contained in our food, and if much fruit is used, 
the amount required for drink is less. Women 
drink less than men, and children more in propor- 
tion to their bulk. During hot weather and when 
the exercise is very severe an additional supply is 
required. 

AMOUNT OF WATER REQUIRED FOR ANIMALS. 

Some experiments were made in English cavalry 
stables, in 1866, to determine the amount of water 
required, daily, for horses. It seemed from the 
report, that these animals vary in the quantity con- 
sumed as much as man; this variation depending 
upon the food, the weather, and the amount of 
exercise taken. If a horse is allowed free access to 
water at all times, he will drink on an average from 
six to ten gallons daily. 

Dr. Parks found a horse, sixteen hands high, 
whose work was to draw a carriage eight miles 
each day, fed on hay and corn, that drank seven 
and a half gallons per day. Some stabled caval- 
ry horses, used only enough for exercise, drank 
six and a half gallons daily, during the autumn 
months. In hot and dusty weather they required 
more. A cow or an ox, kept on dry food, will 
drink six or eight gallons daily; and a sheep or 
pig from one half a gallon to a gallon. 

In the Abyssinian Expedition, the daily expendi- 
ture for water for animals on ship-board was as fol- 
lows : Elephants, 25 gallons ; camels, 10 ; large ox- 
en, 6 ; small oxen, 5 ; mules and ponies, 5. 

AMOUNT REQUIRED FOR THE SICK. 

The sick require more water than the well, be- 
cause so much is needed for washing and bathing; 



36 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

but no very accurate experiments have been made 
regarding the amount required for drinking pur- 
poses. It would probably be less than for active 
healthy persons. 

PURITY OF WATER. 

Perfectly pure water does not exist in nature. 
The nearest approach to it is distilled water. The 
best natural waters contain some salts of lime, 
magnesia, atmospheric air, carbonic acid, and other 
substgfcices, and many contain in solution, organic 
and inorganic matter enough to render their use 
objectionable. Water that contains much lime and 
magnesia is called hard water, and conveys to the 
blood substances which interfere with the most 
perfect action of the organs of the body. Water 
containing organic matter dissolved from vege- 
table and animal substances, or poisonous gases 
dissolved from the air, is a very dangerous drink, 
to be avoided under all circumstances. Water 
contaminated with malarial germs is a source of 
malarial fever, and it is a question if this disease 
is not caused by drinking water quite as often as 
by breathing the air of malarious districts. Water 
contaminated by matter from cesspools, privies and 
barn-yards is a common source of typhoid fever. 
There is no doubt but the unclean water about 
many farms and dairies spreads disease in healthy 
towns, and causes much loss of life. 

DISTILLED WATER. 

In diseases, distilled water may be an important aid 
to recovery. It can be made by the use of apparatus, 
which need not be troublesome or inconvenient. 



GASEOUS FOOD. 37 

Druggists generally keep it for preparing medi- 
cines. Comparatively pure water may be made by 
boiling, cooling and straining it through a pan of 
charcoal, and keeping in a well-corked bottle in a 
cool, dark place. 

GASEOUS FO'OD. 
THE ATMOSPHERE. 

The atmosphere is the only gaseous food required 
by man ; and the necessity for its oxygen is absolute 
and continuous. The nitrogen of the atmosphere, 
so far as is known, plays only the part of a dilutent, 
and does not enter into any important chemical 
combination within the body. 

"When the mixed gases of the air are drawn into 
the lungs, a portion of the oxygen is absorbed by 
the blood, and, during the course of the circulation, 
unites chemically with the carbon, nitrogen, and 
hydrogen of our food — forming chemical com- 
pounds, generally called carbonates, nitrates and 
hydrates. Some of these compounds go to form a 
part of the substance of the body; but the greater 
proportion of them, after producing heat, leave it as 
carbonic acid and water. 

From the stand point of a chemist, the living 
body is a great oxidizing machine, constantly burn- 
ing up its own substance. If the process of this 
combustion could be seen it would perhaps resemble 
the glow seen on the firefly in its nocturnal flight, 
but this we can only conjecture. It is a very safe 
statement to make that, so far as we know, every 
act of man, and each unconscious change within 
his body is accompanied by a consumption of oxy- 



o8 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

gen. The quantity of air consumed, when com- 
pared with the amount of other food, is very con- 
siderable — the average for adults being 360 cubic 
feet every day — about 2,000 gallons; which would 
weigh not far from twenty-five pounds. 

Though fresh air is abundant in nature and costs 
nothing, yet it cannot be doubted that a great num- 
ber of persons, especially sedentary ones and those 
who spend a large portion of their time in-doors, 
have their health injured, their working capacity 
diminished, and their length of days shortened by 
an insufficiency of air. They literally starve for 
this form of food. 

The amount of fresh air required hourly in tem- 
perate climates, from which to draw the amount 
required for actual consumption, has been variously 
estimated by hygienists. General Morin, of Paris, 
published some results of his own experiments and 
observations on this subject which are worth re- 
peating. Work-shops, prisons and theaters require 
2,118 cubic feet hourly for each person; schools, 
1,059 cubic feet; hospitals at ordinary times, 2,825 
cubic feet; during operations, 4,236, and during 
epidemics 5,650 cubic feet. I am of the opinion that 
Morin's estimates are too low, and that not less than 
7,000 cubic feet should be provided hourly for each 
person. This will keep the carbonic acid and other 
impurities which emanate from the body down to 
nearly the same amount as in out-of-door air. 

It has been found that in mines, if it is wished to 
keep up the energies of the workmen to their full 
capacity, not less than 100 cubic feet per minute 
for each man is necessary, and if the quantity be re- 
duced one third or one half there is a correspond- 



ACCESSORY FOODS. 39 

ing falling off of the work done by the men. Ro- 
bert Stephenson is of the opinion that 100 cubic 
feet is not sufficient. The best physicians now 
agree that in fevers and contagious diseases the 
more complete exposure of the patients to the at- 
mosphere the better, and that fresh air is of more 
importance than medicine. I asked a young phy- 
sician connected with one of the hospitals, the 
other day, what was the latest method of treating 
pneumonia. He replied, "Exposure to cool fresh 
air; 75 and then he added, " We recently had thirty- 
four cases in one hospital, and lost but one." I 
asked if there was no danger in cold weather of in- 
jury from cold, and he said that under proper pre- 
cautions there was not the least danger. 

I can not go into any detailed account of the ques- 
tion of air and its purity, or of ventilation, here. 
The subject is treated elaborately in works on Hy- 
giene; but I may add, that the condition of the 
atmosphere varies with every hour of the day, with 
every change of temperature and pressure, with 
every change of wind and season, with every de- 
gree of latitude and longitude, and with all those 
multitudinous conditions constantly taking place 
on our globe; and I may also add that, notwith- 
standing the fact that Nature has supplied us with 
it in the greatest abundance, we need after all, to 
pay constant attention to its purity, to ventilation, 
and all those matters which will help us to receive 
it in abundance and purity. 

ACCESSORY FOODS. 
Accessory foods do not contain any appreciable 
amount of nourishment, but act as condiments, 



40 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

stimulating the digestive organs, promoting the 
flow of saliva, gastric juice and other internal se- 
cretions, and increasing the peristaltic movement 
of the viscera. They are used to improve the taste 
of whatever is eaten, so as to make it more enjoy- 
able, or to stimulate the nervous system to an in-' 
creased activity. 

A few of the accessory foods may be mentioned : 
Tea and coffee ; every form of alcoholic beverage, 
as wine and beer ; spices of all sorts used in the 
culinary art, and vinegar, mustard, horseradish, 
pickles, etc., etc. Salt has generally been regarded 
as a condiment also ; but recent investigations go 
to show that while it possesses some of the proper- 
ties of this class of foods it is, in fact, to a certain 
extent, a food itself ; or, at least, its presence is a 
necessity in the blood. 

There is a marked difference of opinion on the 
value and usefulness of accessory foods between 
various authorities. Pettenkoff er says : "Acces- 
sory foods (Genussmittel) are true friends of man. 
They help the organism over many difficulties. I 
might compare them to the oil used to, lubricate 
machinery which, while it cannot be substituted 
for the steam power, causes every movement to go 
easier, without friction, and more smoothly than it 
otherwise would." 

But, on the other hand, many of our condiments 
may very justly be classed as drugs or medicines, 
and their habitual use by healthy persons, it re- 
quires but little intelligence to know, must be in- 
jurious. Their influence is mainly on the nervous 
system. ISTow, in a state of health, and especially 
with the young, the nervous system does not re- 



CONDIMENTS. 41 

quire a spur constantly applied to make it do its 
work. When age advances, if the constitution has 
been injured, perhaps this rule might be relaxed. 

/vV". Mattieu Williams, in his admirable work upon 
the Chemistry of Cookery takes the same view that 
I do, and says : " Cayenne pepper may be selected 
as a typical example of a condiment. Mustard is a 
food and a condiment combined. This is the case 
with some others. Carry powders are a mixture of 
very potent condiments with more or less of farin- 
aceous materials and sulphur compounds, which, 
like the oil of mustard, onions, garlic, etc., may 
have a certain amount of nutritive value. The 
mere condiment is a stimulating drug, which does 
its work directly upon the inner lining of the stom- 
ach, exciting it to increased abnormal activity^/ 

/"****' The dyspeptic may obtain immediate relief by 
the use of cayenne pepper. Among the patent 
medicines is a pill of the very ominous name of its 
compounder — the chief constituent of which is 
cayenne. Great relief and temporary comfort are 
commonly obtained by using it as a dinner pill. If 
thus used, only as a temporary remedy for an acute 
and temporary or exceptional attack of indigestion, 
all is well ; but whether cayenne is taken in pills, 
or dusted over the food, or stewed with it in curries 
or otherwise, it is one of the most cruel of slow poi- 
sons when taken habitually. Thousands of poor 
wretches are crawling miserably towards their 
graves — the victims of the multitude of maladies 
of both mind and body, that are connected with 
chronic, incurable dyspepsia ; all brought about by 
the habitual use of cayenne and its condimental 
cousins. ) 



42 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

' The usual history of these victims is that they 
began by over-feeding, took to the condiment to 
force the stomach to do more than its healthful 
amount of work, using but a little at first^fThen 
the stomach became tolerant of this little and de- 
manded more, until at last inflammation, ulcera- 
tion, torpidity, and the final death of the digestive 
powers, accompanied by all of that long train of 
miseries to which I have referred.'^ 

This is strong language, but itrnas much truth in 
ity. It has always seemed to me that those condi- 
ments which are of a very stimulating, and, per- 
haps, of a poisonous nature, are not required, and 
if used to any great extent are positively injurious 
to the young and even to adults in good health, and 
that if our food is properly cooked, all its natural 
properties being preserved and brought out, the 
demands of the palate and of digestion would be 
sufficiently served to answer our natural require- 
ments. If the material of our food is not good, if 
the cooking is bad, we must conceal its disagreeable 
qualities by the use of condiments. 

Many eschew condiments entirely, and to mani- 
fest advantage. William Cullen Bryant, in a letter 
written for The Herald of Health, said: "Even 
with my food I do not take the usual condiments, 
such as pepper and the like.' 5 

Other accessory foods, such as tea, coffee, etc.,, 
will be discussed in the chapter on drinks. 



CHAPTER III. 
THE DAILY REQUIREMENTS OF THE BODY. 

Before considering the daily requirements of our 
bodies it will be necessary to know what is expected 
of them, or what they are capable of accomplishing. 
To this end we need a mathematical form of ex- 
pression for the work which an average human be- 
ing is able to perform daily. To secure this we 
must first convert the various kinds of labor into a 
common unit. This unit, as has been agreed upon 
by physiologists, is a foot-ton, or 2000 pounds raised 
one foot high, The number of foot-tons which can 
be lifted daily would constitute a day's work. 

There are, however, two kinds of work done by 
the body : one is internal work, such as circulating 
the blood, respiration, secretion, digestion, and all 
other kinds of labor except muscular. The other 
kind is known as external work, concerning which 
Dr. Alexander Wynter Blythe, in a little book en- 
titled "Diet in its Relation to Health and Work," 
says : " The external work varies much. A country 
postman, 150 pounds in weight, walking his daily 
round of twenty miles, would do work equal to 353.4 
foot-tons. Ordinary day laborers, such as we see 
on the road, probably average 350 foot-tons. In the 
case of a peddler, cited by Parks, who carried twem 

(43) 



44 THE DAILY REQUIREMENTS OP THE BODY. 

ty-eight pounds on his back and walked twenty 
miles daily, the work was 419.5 foot-tons. 

"In Weston's feat of fifty miles a day, I have 
calculated his daily work to be no less than 793 
foot-tons ; but this large number was exceeded in a 
former feat, in which he walked 317 miles in five 
days, which would give, approximately, 1,010 foot- 
tons daily. 

"A very hard day's work for most men is 400 foot- 
tons. At the other end of the scale stand sedentary 
occupations, for example : needlewomen, the ex- 
ternal work of which may fall as low as seventeen 
or eighteen foot-tons." 

The internal work done by the body can only be 
estimated approximately. The most reliable cal- 
culations have been made of the work of the heart. 
The left ventricle at each pulsation, in an average 
man, circulates about six ounces of blood. 

The right ventricle circulates the same quantity, 
but to a less distance ; and its labor has been esti- 
mated at about one-third of that of the left ventri- 
cle. According to nice calculations, the work of 
both ventricles amounts to about 435 foot-tons daily, 
which is more than the entire external work of an 
average laborer. 

Of the internal work done by other organs of the 
body we have no reliable data. 

The estimates given by different authorities as to 
the daily requirements of the body have an inter- 
est, though they are somewhat arbitrary. They are 
made to suit the average laboring man, whose diges- 
tion is good and who does a fair day's muscular 
work, and are no criterion for sedentary persons or 
for women. 



CONSTITUENTS OF A SUFFICIENT DIET. 45 

According to Ranke a sufficient diet for the aver- 
age worker, estimated dry, should contain. 

about 1,543 grains, or 3.2 ounces of proteids, 

" 1,543 " " 3.2 " " fats, 
and 3,703 " " 7.88 " " carbohydrates. 

The amount of energy associated with each of 
those groups of food constituents is shown in the 
next table. 

1,543 grains of albumen give 426,300 calories, * 
1,543 " " fat " 906,900 " 

3,703 " " starch " 938,880 u 



Total, 2,272,080 calories. 

Foster antt Voit make a more liberal and some- 
what different estimate of man's daily require- 
ments, as follows : 

Albumen 1,820 grains, 3.8 ounces, 

Fats 1,930 " 4 

Carbohydrates 6,053 " 12.6 " 

The quantity of nitrogen and carbon in the above 
diet is as follows : 

Nitrogen . 282.40 grains. 

Carbon . . . .5,061 " 

The value of a diet containing this amount of the 
various constituents in energy is as follows : 

1,820 grains albumen give 503,034 calories, 

1,364 " fat " 801,699 " 

5,053 " carbohydrates " 1,534,600 " 



Total, 2,839,333 calories. L 

Professor Gamgee, in his interesting work on 
"Food and Digestion/' gives in the following table 
the quantity of the different foods which a man 

*A calorie is the amount of heat required to raise one kilo- 
gramme of water one degree, Centigrade. 



46 THE DAILY REQUIREMENTS OF THE BODY. 

would be required to eat in order to supply his 
system with the nitrogen and carbon specified in 
the last table quoted, as follows : 

18*3 grammes of nitrogen — 

Cheese ..... 272 grammes, * 

Lean meat . . . . 538 " 

Wheaten flour ... 796 " 

Eggs (18) .... 905 

Black bread .... 989 " 

Rice 1,868 " 

Milk 2,905 " 

Potatoes . 4,575 " 

Bacon . . . . s 4,796 
Beer . . . . . 17,000 

328 grammes of carbon = 

Bacon . . . . . 450 grammes* 

Wheaten flour ... ^ 824 " 

Rice 896 

Cheese 1,160 " 

Black bread .... 1,346 " 

Eggs (43) . ... 2,231 " 

Lean meat .... 2,620 " 

Potatoes . . . . 3,124 " 

Milk . . . . . . 4,652 

Beer . . . . . 13,160 

These tables have no absolute value a§ guides to 
our daily diet, but are curiosities which will inter- 
est the reader, and they "indicate," continues Gam- 
gee, "how very limited are the substances which 
alone will supply the body with the proper quanti- 
ties which it requires of nitrogen and of carbon, and 
also of energy. Thus, whilst 538 grammes of meat 
are sufficient to supply all the proteid which the 
body requires, if meat alone composed the diet of 

♦To convert grammes into avoir, ounces multiply by 0.0353. 



BLACK BREAD. 47 

man there would be needed as much as 2,620 
grammes to supply all the carbon required ; but no 
man could day after day consume such a great 
quantity of meat. Even milk, which contains all 
the various groups of food constituents, is not 
adapted to supply all the elements of a perfect 
diet in their proper proportions for an adult man ; 
for while all the nitrogen which the body needs 
could be afforded by the consumption of 2,905 
grammes of milk, in order that the amount of 
carbon required should be obtained, the milk con- 
sumed would have to reach the enormous amount 
of 4,652 grammes, in other words, over ten English 
pounds. 

"It will be observed that there is only one article 
of diet in each of these tables, namely, black bread, 
which contains nitrogen and carbon in such pro- 
portions that a moderate weight of it is able to 
supply the wants of the economy for both these 
elements. From 1,300 to 1,400 grammes of black 
bread constitute, therefore, almost a standard diet, 
and it may be mentioned that upon this diet large 
numbers of men are able to live in health and to 
accomplish great labors. In some of the depart- 
ments in the south of France black bread consti- 
tutes almost the only food of a vigorous and labor- 
ious population." 

A recipe will be given for making this black 
bread in another department. While it contains 
the elements of an almost perfect nutrition it is 
very disagreeable to the taste and also difficult of 
digestion. Only those working in the open air can 
digest it. 

Dr. Edward Smith made inquiries into the food 



48 THE DAILY REQUIREMENTS OF THE BODY. 

allowance of several hundred families in England, 
Wales, Ireland and Scotland, and constructed the 
following interesting tables : 

AVERAGE DAILY DIET OF FARM LABORERS IN GREAT 
BRITAIN. 

Dry Nitrogenous Dry Carbonaceous 

Matter. Matter. 

England .... 3.18 ozs. . . . 29.32 ozs. 

Wales .... 4.12 " . . 35.51 " 
Scotland . ' . . . 4.76 4< 36.30 4< 

Ireland . . . . 4.94 " , . . 34.26 " 

The carbonaceous matter in this table, as well as 
the following, is calculated as starch. 

Dr. Playfair has constructed a still more inter- 
esting table, giving the amount of nitrogenous 
and carbonaceous substances in ounces, in differ- 
ent amounts of labor : 

DAILY DIET ACCORDING TO WORK DONE. 

Flesh-formers. Fat. Starch and Sugar. 

Subsistence diet . . 2.0 ozs. 0.5 ozs. 12.0 ozs. 

Quietude ... 2.5 " 1.0 " 12.0 4C 

Moderate exercise . . 4.2 " 1.8 " 18.7 u 

Active labor . . 5.5 " 2.5 u ?0.0 u 

Hard work . . . 6.5 " 2.5 " 20.0 M 

These tables are all constructed from English and 
German data, where work of this kind has been 
done much more extensively than in our own coun- 
try. There are evidences, however, that American 
scientists will soon give us statistics of this sort of 
the most valuable kind. On this point Professor 
Atwater says : 

"I think that to fairly meet the demand of the 
average American laboring man (I mean the man 
whose labor is done with his muscles ; brain- work- 



LIBERAL RATIONS FOR HARD WORK. 49 

ers who have little muscular exercise need less 
food, I suppose,) a more liberal allowance than Voit 
makes for laboring men in Germany is needed. 
The American " working-man " is better paid, has 
more and better food, and does more work than 
his European brother. I should be inclined to quan- 
tities more like the following for the nutrients in 
^ the daily food of an average man doing manual 
work. 

Protein. Fat. Carbohydrates. 

/- For moderate work. 

| \ 125 grammes (4.4 ozs). 125 grammes. 400 grammes (14.4 ozs). 

For hard work. 
^^i50 grammes 150 grammes. 400 grammes. 

"Men at very severe work may often need much 
more than the most liberal of these rations allows, 
while men, and especially women, of sedentary hab- 
its and elderly people are believed to usually require 
considerably less than the smallest figures indi- 
cate. 

"Statistics collected in the United States imply 
that the quantity of food consumed by many people 
whose occupations involve only light muscular labor 
approaches very near to the largest of these stand- 
ards, and often considerably exceeds it. Indeed, a 
large array of facts lately gathered very strongly 
support the teaching of physicians that the failure 
to fit the food to the demands of the body, and es- 
pecially the excessive consumption of certain kinds 
of food, are the sources of untold injury to health 
and happiness." 

Those who are fond of figures will be interested 
in Professor Huxley's general statistics of the body, 
as follows : 

s 



50 THE DAILY REQUIREMENTS OF THE BODY. 

The average weight of the human body may be 
taken at 154 lbs. 
Such a body would be made up of 

lbs. 

Muscles and their appurtenances . . 68 

Skeleton . . .... 24 

Skin . . 10£ 

Fat 28 

Brain 3 

Thoracic viscera 2£ 

Abdominal viscera 11 

147 

lbs. 
Or of water . . . . . . .88 

Solid matter . . . . . .66 

The solids would consist of the elements oxygen, 
hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, 
silicon, chlorine, flourine, potassium, sodium, cal- 
cium (lithium), magnesium, iron (manganese, cop- 
per, lead), and may be arranged under the heads of 

PROTEIDS. AMYLOIDS. FATS. MINERALS. 

Such a body would lose in 24 hours — o*f water, 
about 40,000 grains, or 6 lbs. ; of other matters, about 
14,500 grains, or over 2 lbs.; among which of car- 
bon 4,000 grains ; of nitrogen 300 grains ; of mineral 
matters, 400 grains; and would part, per diem, with 
as much heat as would raise 8,700 lbs. of water 
f rom 0° to 1° F., which is equivalent to 3,000 foot- 
tons. Such a body ought to do as much work as is 
equal to 450 foot-tons. 

The losses would occur through various organs, 
thus — by 



COMPOSITION OF THE BODY. 51 

Water. Other Matter. N. C. 





grains. 


grains. 


grains. 


grains, 


Lungs . 


. 5,000 


12,000 




3,300 


Kidneys . 


23,000 


1,000 


250 


140 


Skin . 


. 10,000 


700 


10 


100 


Feces 


2,000 


80J 


40 


4G0 



Total . . 40,000 14,500 300 4,000 

The gains and losses of the body would be as fol- 
lows : 

grains. 

Creditor— Solid dry food . . . 8,000 

Oxygen . . . . 10,000 

Water 36,500 



Total . . 54,500 
grains. 

Debtor— Water 40,000 

Other matter . . . 14,500 



Total . . 54,500 

Such a body would require for daily food, carbon 
4,000 grains ; nitrogen 300 grains, which, with the 
other necessary elements, would be most conveni- 
ently disposed in 

grains. 

* Proteids 2,000 

Amyloids . . . . . 4,400 
Fats . . . . . . 1,200 

Minerals 400 

Water 36,500 

Total . . 44,500 

which, in turn, might be obtained, for instance, by 
means of those articles of food named below or an 



52 THE DAILY REQUIREMENTS OF THE BODY, 

indefinite number of articles might be used from 
which to select them. 

grains. 
Lean beefsteaks .... 5,000 

Bread 6,000 

Milk 7,000 

Potatoes 3,000 

Butter, dripping, etc . . 600 
Water 22,900 

Total . . 44,500 

The feces passed, per diem, would amount to about 
2,800 grains, containing solid matter, 800 grains. 



CHAPTER IV. 
DIGESTION. 

Good digestion is at the base of perfect nutrition. 
The best food in the world, imperfectly digested, 
will not be so useful to the animal body as the 
poorest food well digested. But the digestion of no 
animal is quite perfect. If it were, then the excre- 
ment which passes away would not contain undi- 
gested substances. Now this is not the case. The 
excrements of all animals furnish food for multi- 
tudes of insects, and birds feed with avidity on the 
dung of grain-fed horses and cattle, as farmers well 
know. The fireman who shovels coal under the 
boiler of a steam engine knows full well that he 
must furnish an extra supply, above that theoreti- 
cally required. Hardly more than twenty-five per 
cent, of its real value is utilized by the best mechan- 
ism yet constructed by man. The remainder is un- 
consumed, going off in the form of minute parti- 
cles, or is lost in other ways. Man does better than 
this ; but we all consume more food than we should 
require if the digestive organs were capable of ex- 
tracting all its nutritive material. 

The following table shows the amount of differ- 
ent foods digested and undigested by man., as found 

(53) 



54 



DIGESTION. 



by very careful experiments made upon a healthy 
person, according to Blythe. 



Parts digested of 100 

parts of the perfectly 

dried solid. 


Sugar 


100-00 


Hice . 


96-00 


Wheaten Bread . 


95-00 


Roast Meat . . 


94-80 


Hard boiled Eggs 


94-75 


Milk and Cheese (in the pro- 




portion of 2*4 : 1) 


94-00 


Cornflour 


93-30 


Milk and Cheese (in the pro- 




portion of 2 : 1) 


93-20 


Milk, 830 parts of fluid ~ 




100 of solids . 


91-00 


Potatoes . . 


90-60 


Rye Bread 


88-9 


Milk and Cheese(equal parts 




of dry solids). 


88-7 


Black Bread 


83-0 


Carrots, Celery, Cabbage 


70-0 


Peas, Beans, etc. 


52-4 


Gelatin .... 


50-0 



Amount of solid food 

residue passing- av\ r ay 

f rom the body by the 

alimentary canal. 

O'OO 

4*00 

5-00 

5-20 

525 



6-00 
6-70 

6-80 

9-00 
9-40 
11-1 

11-8 
17-0 
24-0 
47*6 
50-0 



The various degrees of the digestibility of foods 
have been roughly estimated in the f olio wirig ways : 

1. By experimenting in the laboratory— the ex- 
perimenter submitting different foods to the action 
of digestive juices at a temperature of about 100° F. 
for a specified time. 

2. By experiments on living beings, in cases 
where an opening has been caused by accident or 
otherwise, revealing the processes of digestion to 
the naked eye; or by following the stages of stom- 
ach digestion and removing its contents at stated 
periods with a stomach pump. 

3. By experiments on living animals, with an ar- 



MOUTH DIGESTION. 55 

tificial opening into the stomach — a cruel process, 
but having some value. 

4. By analyses of the food eaten and of the ex- 
crement which passes out of the body. The latter 
method is by far the most satisfactory, for it in- 
volves no unnatural condition. By it the food is 
subjected to all the processes of digestion, while 
in the other cases it is submitted to only a part 
of them. The foregoing table was estimated by 
this method. 

It does not follow, however, that foods which are 
not perfectly digested, or which may be difficult of 
digestion should never be eaten, any more than it 
follows that difficult work for brain or muscles 
should never be attempted. The organism acquires 
strength, under certain conditions, by doing labor 
Vvhich taxes it somewhat severely. 

From the table quoted it will be seen that sugar 
is the most perfectly digested of any of the articles 
mentioned ; and yet sugar alone would not consti- 
tute a safe diet. Peas and beans, on the other hand, 
are rarely perfectly digested, and yet they consti- 
tute important foods. 

The food in its passage along the digestive track 
is brought under the action of several digestive 
fluids, the products of the epithelial cells which con- 
stitute the mucous membrane, and of the glands, 
which belong to it. 

MOUTH DIGESTION. 

The first of these juices is the saliva secreted by 
the various glands connected with the mouth ; then 
comes the gastric juice of the stomach, the bile of 
the liver, the pancreatic juice of the pancreas, and 



56 DIGESTION. 

other unimportant juices of the digestive track. 
These juices are poured upon the food, mingled 
with it, and produce such changes in its character 
that from being insoluble it becomes soluble, and 
so modified that if the digestion be perfect the 
soluble portion of what is eaten is passed into, and 
becomes a part of, the blood. 

Digestion begins in the mouth. During each 
twenty -four hours the salivary glands pour into 
this cavity, mainly during mastication, about three 
and a half pounds of saliva. It is alkaline in its 
reaction, and contains nearly half an ounce of solid 
matter, and less than a quarter of an ounce of ptya- 
line, which is its active principle. The saliva 
moistens and dilutes the food while the ptyaline 
acts on its starch, converting a portion of it into 
grape sugar. It is calculated that one part of 
ptyaline will convert 8,000 parts of starch into 
sugar. It produces no action on fat or albumen. 
Starch is unaffected by saliva unless the coat of the 
starch-cell is ruptured by boiling or by thorough 
mastication, so as to expose the starch to its influ- 
ence. 

STOMACH DIGESTION. 

The food passes from the mouth into the stomach, 
where it meets another digestive fluid, the gastric 
juice. A healthy stomach secretes from fourteen 
to twenty-five pounds of this juice daily, which con- 
tains less than half a pound of solid matter, and 
two-thirds of an ounce of pepsine, the active agent 
of digestion. 

The gastric juice is acid in its reaction, or exactly 
the opposite of the saliva. It puts an end for the 



CONDITIONS FAVORING DIGESTION. 57 

time being to tlie digestion of starch, which had 
commenced in the mouth. It has no effect upon the 
grape or cane sugar of our food. It is also power- 
less to digest fats, consequently any oily matter 
in the stomach, also starch, remains unchanged. 
Any albuminous envelope surrounding a fat globule 
may be digested away, leaving the fatty portion 
free. Such mineral matter as is soluble in acids 
is, for the most part, dissolved in the gastric juice. 
Its chief characteristic is its power of dissolving 
proteid or albuminous matters, converting them 
into peptones, which can be taken up by the ab- 
sorbents of the digestive organs, and carried into 
the circulation. 

After the stomach has done all it can in the way 
of digesting the albuminous matter in our food, it 
is passed through the pyloric orifice at its end 
into the duodenum, in an acid condition. Here it 
meets, and is mingled with, two alkaline digestive 
fluids — first, the bile from the liver, and, second, 
the pancreatic juice from the pancreas. In a short 
time it is changed from an acid to an alkaline state. 
Any albuminous matter which was not completely 
digested in the stomach, and all the starchy mat- 
ters not completely digested in the mouth, have 
their digestion completed here, and the fatty por- 
tion of the food is changed into an emulsion, which 
fits it for being absorbed. Thus we see the main 
office of digestion is to render the solid matter of 
food soluble. 

The conditions of perfect digestion are several, 
and may be mentioned here. The first is perfect 
mastication. If this is not accomplished much of 
the food is not brought under the influence of the 

a* 



58 DIGESTION. 

digestive juices and so is lost. Count Rumf ord cal- 
culated that one-fourth less food is required if it 
be perfectly masticated. The object of mastica- 
tion is to break up the particles into a condition 
in which the digestive juices can be brought into 
immediate contact with them. 

It has been stated that Mr. Gladstone is so im- 
pressed with the importance of perfect mastication 
that he makes a practice himself, and has taught 
his family to do the same, of giving each mouthful 
thirty -two bites — one for each tooth in a perfect 
mouth. It is no wonder that he is able to perform 
such an amount of intellectual labor. 

It is not easy to form the habit of chewing the 
food thoroughly after one has practiced eating 
rapidly for a few years, but by determined effort it 
may be done, as I have many times observed in 
persons who have consulted me on the hygienic 
treatment of their diseases. 

Several years ago, Prof. E. F. Bacon and myself, 
and a few other friends eating at the same table, 
formed a little club, under the name of " The Eat- 
Your-Food-Slow-Society." I was the honored 
president so long as the society existed, which was 
long enough for our individual purposes. We had 
a great deal of merriment on the subject of masti- 
cating food, and each member was fined every time 
he was caught eating rapidly. I think such socie- 
ties are much needed, and that they might be 
formed at every table. They would serve to call 
attention to the subject, and, finally, to aid in 
forming correct habits of eating. 

During digestion the contents of the stomach are 
kept in a constant state of gentle agitation by the 



CONVERSATION AT TABLE. 59 

rythmic, circular, to-and-fro movement of this or- 
gan. This is, no doubt, facilitated by gymnastic 
exercises or deep breathing. 

Those who engage in out-of-door labor do not 
need to make special effort for keeping up the in- 
testinal movement; but sedentary persons, many 
invalids, and women who dress tightly about the 
waist often suffer much in health because the mus- 
cular movements of the digestive canal are feeble 
and inefficient. 

Digestion is favored by the proper selection of 
food, and by the right proportion of fats, carbo- 
hydrates, proteids and mineral matter. An excess 
or deficiency of either is injurious. 

By the best treatment of food as regards cooking, 
flavoring and serving. 

By proper variety of food, with occasional changes 
of diet. 

By moderate exercise, warmth and a genial state 
of mind. 

By good sleep. Persons who suffer from sleep- 
lessness lose their appetites, and their digestion be- 
comes impaired. Sleep, on the other hand, is pro- 
moted by good and suitable food. 

By pleasant social surroundings at the table, and 
by regularity in eating, with proper intervals be- 
tween meals. 

I am a great believer in light conversation at the 
table. A person who sits alone and eats in silence," 
cannot enjoy his food, nor digest it so thoroughly* 
as one who eats with agreeable people, and enters 
into the talk which ought to prevail ; but it should 
be light agreeable talk. Politics and theology, 
business and the trials and troubles of life should 



$0 DIGESTION. 

never be mentioned. Every meal should be a festi- 
val of cheerfulness and love. We say grace at the 
table, and this is right; but we should be filled 
with grace and beauty, then would the words we 
utter be something more than empty sounds. 



CHAPTER V. 
THE SOURCES OF OUR FOODS. 



Man derives his nourishment mainly from organ- 
ized matter ; plants theirs from unorganized. It is 
true that the former may, to a slight extent, be j 
nourished from inorganic material ; and it is also 
true that some vegetables, mainly the carnivorous 
plants, feed upon organic matter; but these excep- 
tions do not disprove the general rule. There are 
two sources of organized matter on which man 
feeds : one the animal kingdom, and one the vege- 
table kingdom. From the animal kingdom we ob- 
tain the proteids and the fats — the proteids in the 
form of lean meat and other tissues, and the fats 
in the form of fat meat. We also obtain mineral 
matter from animal food. The animal kingdom 
furnishes no carbohydrates. From the vegetable 
kingdom we obtain the proteids, the fats, the car- 
bohydrates and mineral food. 

There are also some intermediate products, name- 
ly, milk and eggs, which may be called animal 
products, though they are hardly animal foods, 
which serve as nourishment for man. 

The extent to which each of these sources of food 
are used varies greatly with race, climate and habit. 

(61) 



vt; 



62 THE SOURCES OF OUR FOODS. 

In polar regions the main supply of food is animal 
from necessity, though vegetables are used so far 
as they can be obtained ; but so scarce are they 
that they may be considered more as luxuries, con- 
diments and medicines than foods. In temperate 
latitudes the vegetable world is the most important 
source of food, though animal food is also exten- 
sively consumed. In warm climates animal food 
is used still less, and by far the greater majority 
of the inhabitants never use any of it. Animal 
products are, however, used here to some extent, 
especially milk. Eggs are less used. I have only 
just received a letter from a Hindoo who states he 
does " not remember to have ever eaten an egg." 

In our own climate a majority of scientists and 
physiologists argue that a mixed diet is preferable, 
and that man is by nature and structure adapted to 
it. Why this is so it would be difficult to say. We 
know perfectly well that the vegetable kingdom 
supplies in rich abundance every element of our 
food. The fats of the vegetable world are quite as 
abundant as in the animal kingdom. The carbo-y 
hydrates are not to be found in the animal king-^ ^ 
dom at all; and even the proteids of the vegetable 
kingdom exist in as great abundance as in animal ^ 
food. Why, then, eat flesh ? There can be but one\ * 
excuse for it, and that is the force of habit for ages J 

In early times, when agriculture had not been 
developed, animal food was, no doubt, in temperate 
regions a necessity, as it is in cold regions now ; 
but this is not the case to-day. Every product of 
the vegetable kingdom, from almost all climes, can 
be had everywhere. There is no longer any excuse 
for the slaughter-house and the annual murdering 



PROFESSOR VOIT'S OPINION. 63 

of millions of animals for sustenance. Many of 
these animals have been bred and perfected with 
the greatest care. They have received so much of 
our thought and labor that they have often become 
almost human, and are in some respects superior to 
many of the human race, so full of selfishness and 
cruelty, even at its best. It may be in making the 
changes from a mixed to a vegetable diet there 
would be some suffering and some mistakes, but 
science must come to our aid. It has always seemed 
to me that the help of the chemist and physiologist 
should be sought to aid us. 

Prof. Voit, one of the most eminent German phy- 
siologists, and who has made many important ex- 
periments on man and his food, recently declared : 
f** I see no reason why man, with well-chosen veg- 
etable food, needs to go to the animal kingdom for 
albuminous matter/^.' Most certainly if he does not 
need to go to the animal kingdom for albuminous 
matter ; he does not for fats ; and he would go in 
vain for carbohydrates. 

In order to get at something practical, I brought 
this subject to the attention of an able chemist, Mr. 
M. B. Manwaring, who has made the subject of 
food a special study, and asked him to take for 
his data the known requirements of the body as 
already given in a previous chapter, and make a 
table showing what vegetables would furnish the 
requisite material. His valuable contribution will 
appear at the close of this chapter. 

I am well aware that no sudden change in man's 
dietetic habits will be made, but it could be brought 
about gradually. Flesh once a day might be taken, 
or three or four times a week, as in the majority of 



6-i THE SOURCES OF OUR FOODS. 

well-to-do families in Germany. Fish, eggs, oysters 
and milk might be retained, perhaps indefinitely. 
There is practically little or no cruelty in securing 
any of these ; not that they are absolutely neces- 
sary, but people think they are, and so long as they 
think so their thoughts must find expression in 
acts ; besides, this kind of animal food would an- 
swer the requirements of those who can not or will 
not under any circumstances altogether dispense 
with it. 

^It is true that there are some difficulties in adopt- 
ing a fleshless diet. One is that the habits and cus- 
toms of society are not built upon a plan for it, and 
these are not easily changed^ A whole family 
cooking their own food would find little difficulty, 
providing they all agree; but a single member of 
it might have so much trouble as to discourage him 
unless he be unusually persistent^/^And then the 
style of cooking and the choice of foods would need 
to be changed. Our present dietetic habits are 
formed on the rude experience of generations, and 
they pretty nearly, on our best arranged tables, 
provide the requisite quantity of fats, carbohy- 
drates, proteids and salts ; but the moment flesh is 
omitted there would be a great deficiency of pro- 
teids, unless they be provided for in other articles 
of diet. It would be necessary to use, for instance, 
more oatmeal and bread made from whole-meal 
flour, also beans and peas — all very rich in pro- 
teids. This might interfere with the likes of many 
people whose nervous systems have been trained 
after the customs of ancestors not far removed from 
savages. 
> Then, again, the danger of enthusiasm without 






ENTHUSIASM WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE. 65 

knowledge has to be counteracted. Men and wo- 
men often take hold of an idea and "run it into 
the ground." Some dietetic reformers have done 
this and paid the penalty ; others have found it un- 
satisfactory and gone to the other extreme. I be- 
lieve heartily in enthusiasm; it moves the world 
when nothing else will, and it especially moves it 
quickly without our waiting for the slow process 
of growth and the regular unfolding of the facul- 
ties. <6uf enthusiasm needs to be well balanced _ 
and kept on the right track by science, knowledge - 
and common sense, which is, after all, practical, 
every-day science, worked out by hard experience^ 
Still, notwithstanding all these difficulties, we 
\ might make more rapid progress by giving careful 
thought to this subject, as we do to other matters 
not nearly so important. 
s — ,^The advantages of man's return to nature cannot 
be estimated^ That he would become a better man 
jthere can be no doubt. The fear that his force of 

/^character and energy might be abated is hardly 
worth considering. ^In our climate, if well fed on 

~the best vegetable foods, he would have energy 

i enough, but there would be, I am sure, far less of 
that restlessness and cruelty so often mistaken 
for energyyv (fi^s-^ •f-*~t****~tA i C^C^%*s<- 

That this reform in our dietetic habits, of which 
I have briefly spoken, is destined to grow, and sure 
to become a part of the struggle in our efforts for 

t human progress, as much as temperance or social 
economy, I have not the slightest doubt. 

I now have the pleasure of introducing Mr. M. B. 
Manwaring, previously mentioned, who, at my so-, 
licitation, contributes a very valuable chapter. 



66 THE SOURCES OF OUR FOODS. 

A PRACTICAL CHAPTER FROM A CHEMICAL 
STANDPOINT. 

The investigations of scientists enable us to name 
with scientific certainty the classes of nutrients re- 
quired by all mankind under any and all conditions. 
The more recent determinations of physiological 
chemists also supply us with the necessary data by 
which to approximate relative proportions and quan- 
tities for a typical dietary, the degree of accuracy 
in any given case depending upon certain condi- 
tions approaching or departing from that state of 
things conveniently termed " average " — that ac- 
commodating adjustment of differences which in- 
cludes all, and yet paradoxically excludes the in- 
dividual. 

Because the individual is but one of a number 
constituting the average, there must needs be a 
greater or less modification of quantities, therefore, 
to a limited extent, each one must be "a law unto 
hiniself." 

The popular safeguard against deficiencies lies 
in the use of an indiscriminate . " mixed diet," but 
which carries with it the liability to excess, to say 
nothing about improper articles of food and misera- 
ble modes of cooking. 

Having for awhile practically applied the general 
teachings of science regarding foods, etc., there 
steps in another reliable adviser of a specific and 
more personal nature, viz., a normal appetite. 
That this may be secured, one should conform to 
the conditions of assimilation of nutrients and the 
functional expenditure of their appropriated ener- 
gy, otherwise the waste of food materials will de- 
feat his plans by rendering useless the quantity- 



NUTRIENTS REQUIRED. 67 

estimates of table I. The foods should be properly- 
cooked, thoroughly insalivated, and taken at regu- 
lar intervals; with sufficient fresh air, exercise, 
sleep, etc. 

The following tables are intended to furnish a 
ready means of practically adjusting the propor- 
tions and quantities of nutrients needed in individ- 
ual cases, as also the weights of various foods, ex- 
cluding flesh, required to supply the several nutri- 
ents. 

TABLE I. 

If the approximate quantities of nutrients required 
daily by a man of average weight be reduced to the 
needs of a person supposed to weigh 100 pounds, 
we will have the following figures : 



Protein. Fats. Carbohydrates. 

\ 
i 



OUNCES. 


OUNCES. 


OUNCES. 


3.5 


3.5 


9.5 


or 3.5 


1.67 


14.7 


3.0 


3.0 


9.5 


or 3.0 


1.5 


14.7. 


r \ 




JW s 


2.25 to 2.4 


2.25 to 2.4 


4.75 to 5.8 


or 2.25 to 2.4 


1.0 to 1.14 


9.43 to 10.0 



For hard work 
For light work 



For the sedentary and 
those below the average 
in health, age, etc. 

As this table is based on the general conditions 
specified, extraordinary exertion would demand 
larger quantities of food materials than the maxi- 
mum figures indicate; and, on the other hand, the 
invalid and those exceptionably below the average 
in any particular require less than the minimum 
quantities named, until better health demands in- 
creased quantities. 

The difficulties of fixing a standard dietary have 
already been referred to— the varying internal and 



68 



THE SOURCES OF OUE FOODS. 



external conditions have each a voice in the mat- 
ter; but we have endeavored to present a sliding 
scale, within limitations, which may serve as a 
general guide to those realizing that a proper diet- 
ary means not only quantity, but quality and rela- 
tive proportions ; who know the importance of a 
proper adjustment of foods, so that the supplies of 
each class will, as nearly as possible, equal the 
systemic wants — the waste and repair balancing 
each other — that disease may be avoided or cured 
by guarding against either extreme of a partially 
starvation diet or that of the gourmand. A person 
may be filled to repletion, and yet suffer from in- 
anition ; or may feel comparatively empty, and still 
be over-fed ; hence the common origin of most dis- 
eases. 



TABLE II. 



This table shows the relation between height and 
weight, or what a person of given height should 
weigh if in a normal condition. 



Height, 


Weight 


5 feet 


inches = 115 av. lbs 


5 " 


1 4t 


44 120 


u 


5 " 


2 " 


44 125 


fct 


5 " 


3 " 


4 - 130 


u 


5 " 


4 " 


" 135 


u 


5 <• 


5 44 


44 140 


\i 


5 " 


6 " 


"- 143 


it 


5 " 


7 " 


44 145 


u 


5 44 


8 4t 


44 148 


(c 


5 " 


9 " 


44 155 


C( 


5 " 


10 " 


44 160 


u 


5 " 


11 


44 165 


u 


6 " 


o ■«* 


44 170 


14 


6 4V 


1 " 


4i 175 


U 


6 " 


2 u 


44 180 


ic 


6 " 


3 44 


4 ' 185 


u 


6 " 


4 " 


44 190 


u 



IMPORTANT TABLES. 69 

As will be observed in tables III, IV and V, only 
the first column of figures shows the number of 
ounces required, of a given food, to supply one 
ounce of the nutrient named at the head of the 
column ; the remaining columns give the quantities 
of the other two nutrients contained in the number 
of ounces designated in the first column. For ex- 
ample : upon referring to table III, it will be seen 
that to obtain 1 oz. of protein from cheese we must 
use 2.63 oz., which quantity also contains 0.24 oz. 
of carbohydrates and 0.184 oz. of fatty matters. 

In making use of these tables, consult the first 
column of table III to find the quantities necessary 
to furnish 1 oz. of protein ; the first column of table 
IV for 1 oz. of carbohydrates, and the first column 
of table V for 1 oz. of fatty matters. When the 
second and third columns show appreciable quanti- 
ties they should enter into the calculation. 





TABLE III. 








lav. oz. of 






Foods. 


Protein 


Carbohydrates Fats 




contained in 


: contained 


: contained, 




OUNCES. 


OUNCES. 


OUNCES. 


Cheese, skimmed milk , 


. 2.63 


— (U4 


= 0.184 


Cheese, whole milk . 


3.7 


0.11 


u 1.26 


Lentils .... 


. 3.7 


u 1.16 


" 0.685 


Beans .... 


4.06 


2.27 


" 0.081 


Pease .... 


. 4.17 


2.45 


14 0.075 


Gluten of whole wheat 


4.31 


2.13 


" 0.259 


Flour, whole wheat, except ) K Q7 
outer shell . . . j D,y ' 


" 3.94 


" 0.119 


Barley flour, whole 


7.22 


4.5 


11 0.13 


Oatmeal, common 


. 7.32 


5.58 


" 0.449 


Corn (maize) 


7.81 


4.84 


" 0.547 


Flour, bolted 


. 8.2 


5.62 


" 0.098 


Barley meal, common 


8.51 


6.04 


u 0.145 



70 



THE SOURCES OF OUR FOODS. 



TABLE III. Continued. 



Foods. 



lav. oz. of 

Protein Carbohydrates Fats 
contained in : contained: contained: 





OUNCES. 




OUNCES. 




OUNCES. 


Buckwheat . 


. 8.77 


n 


5.17 


14 


0.228 


Bread, bolted flour, 
made 


home -[ 9.09 


44 


5.0 


41 


0.182 


Rye flour, common . 


9.12 


u 


6.51 


44 


0.183 


Rice 


. 14.3 


u 


11.11 


44 


0.073 


Rye bread, common, 
made 


home - f 16.13 


u 


7.77 


U 


0.077 


Pease, very young . 


16.5 


It 


2.15 


44 





Cow's milk, skimmed . . 19.61 


(4 


1.27 


41 





Cow's buttermilk . 


20.83 


II 


1.35 


44 


' 


Cow's milk . 


! . 21.05 


u 


0.84 


41 


0.737 


Cabbage . 


37.04 


It 


2. £6 


44 





Beans, very young 


. 49.02 


II 


2.94 


44 





Sago . 


. 100.0 


14 


82.0 


41 


— 


Butter . 


. - . 1C0.0 


44 




41 


89.0 


Turnips . . , 


. 100.0 


44 


7.0 


44 





Potato, available protein . 125.0 


44 


26.25 


44 


0.287 


Sweet Potato, 


143.0 

TABLE IV 

1 av. oz. < 


II 


38.18 


41 


0.329 


Foods. 


Carbohydrates Protein 


\. 


Fats 




contained ] 


n: 


contained 


: contained 




OUNCES. 




OUNCES. 




OUNCES 


Sago . 


. . . 1.22 




= 0.0122 


= 





Rice 


1.29 




1 0.09 


44 


0.000 


Oatmeal, common 


• 1.31 




4 0.179 


44 


0.08 


Rye flour, common 


1.4 




4 0.153 


44 


0.028 


Barley meal, common . .1.41 




' 0.165 


44 


0.024 


Flour, bolted 


1.46 




\ 0.178 


44 


0.017 


Flour, whole wheat 
outer shell 


, except ) t 53 




; 0.254 


44 


0.03 


Barley flour, whole 


. . .1.6 




1 0.221 


44 


.029 


Corn (maize) . 


1.61 




' 0.206 


44 


0.113 


Buckwheat 


. 1.7 




1 0.194 


44 


0.044 


Pease 


♦ . 1.7 




4 0.41 


ti 


0.031 



IMPORTANT TABLES. 



71 



TABLE IV. Continued. 



1 av. oz. of 
Foods. Carbohydrates, 

contained in: 

OUNCES. 

Lentils 1.71 

Beans 18 k< 

Bread, bolted flour, home-made 1.82 u 
Gluten of wheat, whole . 2.02 " 
Rye bread, common, home- ) AQ u 

made . . . . \ 2 08 
Sweet potato c . . .3.75 " 

Potato 4.76 

Pease, very young . , .7.67 " 
Cheese, skimmed milk . 11.11 " 
Cabbage . . . . .12.5 u 

Turnips 14.3 

Cow's milk, skimmed . .15.38 " 
Cow's buttermilk . . . 15.38 " 
Beans, very young . . . 16.67 " 
Cow's milk .... 25.0 
Cheese, whole milk . . .33.33 



Protein 

contained : 

OUNCES. 

0.46 

0.444 

0.2 

0.468 

0.129 

0.252 

0.033 

0.465 

4.222 

0.337 

0.143 

0.784 

0.738 

0.34 

1.188 

9.0 



Foods. 



Butter 

Cheese, whole milk . 
Cheese, skimmed milk . 
Corn (maize) 
Oatmeal, common . 
Gluten of whole wheat 
Cow's milk .... 
Buckwheat .... 
Bread, bolted flour, home- ) 

made .... J 
Rye flour, common . 
Flour, whole wheat, except [ 

outer shell ..•-..) 



TABLE V. 

1 av. oz. of 

Fats 
contained in: 

OUNCES. 

. 1.123 = 
2.941 l( 
. 14.3 
14.3 

. 16.525 4( 

. 28.57 " 
38.401 " 



50.0 
50.0 
50.0 



Protein 

contained: 

OUNCES. 

- 0.0112 
0.794 
5.434 
1.83 
2.357 
3.852 
1.357 
4 384 

5.5 

5.485 
8.37 



Fats 
contained: 

OUNCES. 

0.032 
0.036 
0.036 
0.121 

0.01 

0.009 
0.011 

0.778 



0.875 
11.33 



Carbo- 
hydrates 
contained : 

OUNCES. 

0.088 

1.278 

8.866 
12.598 

8.235 

1.143 
22.691 ■ 

27.5 

35 63 

33.0 



72 



THE SOURCES OF OUR FOODS. 



TABLE V. Continued. 



Foods. 



Beans 

Lentils .... 

Pease 

Barley meal, common . 
Flour, bolted 

Rice 

Rye bread, common, home 

made . 
Potato .... 

Sweet potato . 



1 av. oz. of 

Fats 

contained in : 

OUNCES. 

50.0 

. 54.05 " 

55.556 c< 

. 58.48 " 

83.33 " 

. 190.07 " 

" i 208. 33 " 

435.00 " 
. 435.00 " 



Protein 

contained 

OUNCES. 

12.325 
14.593 
13.833 
6.871 
10. 158 
13.725 



Carbo- 
hydrates 

contained; 

OUNCES. 

41 28.0 
" 31.543 
u 32.608 
hi 41.521 
14 57.106 
u 152.346 



18.916 " 100.352 



3.480 
3.480 



91.35 
116.145 



We have included in our tables the dairy pro- 
ducts, as milk is just over the line that divides vege- 
table and animal foods. Milk contains all the nutri- 
ents, and in such proportions that it is nearer a 
perfect food than any other of animal origin. "With 
bread or other starchy material it is an admirable 
food for adults. The whole wheat stands foremost 
as a nearly, if not quite, perfect food. Made into 
bread and eaten with milk or a little butter it is all 
that can be desired. 

Those, however, who prefer a strictly vegetarian 
dietary, can substitute olive or cottonseed oil and 
nuts (especially during cold weather) for butter and 
fat of meats — the latter is also represented by the 
starches, sugars and cellulose of vegetable products. 
Flesh has its counterpart in casein of pease, beans 
and lentils, gluten of wheat and fibrin of oatmeal. 

The cereals generally, or foods rich in protein, 
abound in all necessary mineral matter, largely in 
the form of phosphates — gluten of wheat, whole 
wheat flour, oatmeal and barley head the list. 



WEIGHING OUR FOOD. 73 

Preference should be given to cereals that have 
been deprived of their outer shell, while retaining 
the bran coats. 

Gluten of wheat is one of the best articles of diet 
to aid in reducing excessive fatness. 

We fully expect to arouse the usual amount of 
prejudice against the unusual feature of letting the 
scales determine the amount of food to be taken. 
All we have to say in extenuation is that we sug- 
gest this mode as the scientific and only reliable 
method. 

To the one in a thousand who is as particular 
about correctness in the weight of food swallowed, 
as in weight purchased, we would advise, — until 
the eye and normal appetite are able to portion off 
quantities with tolerable accuracy, — that he makes 
a practical use of these tables, which require : 

1. Weighing articles of food before and after 
cooking, until relative weights are ascertained. 

2. Measuring the height of the person to find from 
table II what the weight ought to be. 

3. Ascertaining from table I the quantity of each 
of the nutrients needed per day or meal, figured 
for what the weight of the person should be. 

4. Adjusting from tables III, IV and V the re- 
quired quantities of an agreeable variety of foods, 
for every day of the week, sufficient to supply the 
needed nutrients. 

For bulk, or quantity without much nutriment, 
fruits are most useful. There can also be added 
such watery vegetables as salads, carrots, turnips, 
tomatoes, cauliflowers, potatoes, spinach, cabbages, 
beets, onions, parsnips, squash, pumpkins, etc. 
The importance of fruits as an adjunct to the foods 



74 THE SOURCES OF OUR FOODS. 

rich in nutrients can hardly be overestimated. 
Among other advantages, the writer has found by 
actual trial that the vegetable acids are powerful 
solvents of legumin or vegetable casein. 

The foregoing tables include only good foods; 
and the character and proportions of their consti- 
tuents show how abundantly the vegetable king- 
dom furnishes all the nutrients, notwithstanding 
the popular notion that strength is dependent on a 
flesh diet. 

A word about beans. These are usually difficult 
to digest, but are so important a food that they can 
hardly be dispensed with. The outer coat or skin 
of the bean is the mischief maker, and should be 
removed for the same reason we peel a potato. To 
do this, previous to baking, after soaking the beans 
as usual over night or longer, rub them between 
the hands. A less troublesome plan is to boil the 
beans instead of baking them, and then rub them 
through a colander. /Beans should be cooked at 
least eight hours, and preferably longer,/ 

M. B. Manwaring. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE ECOXOMT'OF FOODS. 

There is a true and a false economy in selecting 
our food. A true economy selects that which is 
most nourishing, most wholesome and best adapted 
to the bodily requirements. The question of ex- 
pense is a secondary matter. I have never taken 
much interest in any plan calculated to reduce the 
cost of our daily food to a minimum unless, at the 
same time, the idea of maintaining the health and 
strength were considered as paramount. If a man 
can be fed on a penny a day, and nourished so as 
to be capable of doing only 300 foot-tons of work, 
or two-thirds as much as a well-fed man, and if it 
costs a dollar to feed him so that he can accom- 
plish a full day's work of not less than 400 tons, 
then the latter food is most economical. It is, 
however, very fortunate that the most wholesome, 
nourishing and suitable foods are cheapest, so that 
a man must be very poor indeed to starve if he 
knows how to adapt means to ends in the daily 
rounds of his life. Most of us pay for flavors, 
delicacies or dainties more than we need to for 
abundant nourishment. If an article of diet does 
not suit our taste, no matter how wholesome and 
nourishing it is, we discard it for something less 
nutritious but more expensive. 

(75) 



76 THE ECONOMY OF FOODS. 

The most economical food is that derived from 
the vegetable kingdom. The Greek peasant, a 
most frugal, hardy and industrious person, often 
capable of bearing great burdens, lives principally 
on bread, olive oil and fruit, the entire cost of 
which is rarely over four cents a day. The same is 
true of the Russian, Italian and Spanish peasants. 

Charles Darwin says in a letter on this subject : 
"I have always been astonished at the fact that 
the most extraordinary workers I ever saw, viz., 
the laborers in the mines of Chili, live exclusively 
on vegetable food, including many seeds of legu- 
minous plants," the whole expense of which could 
hardly have been over a few cents. 

It is very true that hard-working men, living 
much in the open air, can extract more nourish- 
ment from plain, coarse food than sedentary per- 
sons, whose powers of digestion have been weak- 
ened by debilitating habits ; but this does not alter 
the general fact that vegetable foods are cheaper 
than animal. I have asked Mr. M. B. Man waring, 
author of one of the preceding chapters, to calcu- 
late for me some tables showing the cost of protein, 
carbohydrates and fats in a few of our, principal 
articles of diet, in order that this subject may 
have a practical illustration. Tables VI, VII and 
VIII are the result of his studies. I preface them 
with his letter of explanation. 

Bayonne, N. </., Feb. 14, 1888. 
Dr. Holbrook: 

My Dear Sir: The following tables comple- 
ment the preceding by showing what the consumer 
actually pays for sufficient of each food to furnish 



EXPLANATORY LETTER. 77 

a pound of each of the several nutrients, at aver- 
age retail prices in New York. The basis of the 
calculations is the relation to each other of 14, 7 
and 12 for protein, carbohydrates and fats respect- 
ively. Should this relation be considered some- 
what arbitrary, results at least show comparative 
costs, which, after all, is the real value of such 
tables. 

In figuring the cost of a pound of a given 
nutrient, allowance has been made for the cost of 
the other nutrients contained in the food ; in other 
words, when calculating the cost of a sufficient 
quantity of a food to supply a pound of protein, the 
relative costs of carbohydrates and fats also in the 
food have been deducted. 

In each table the articles of food are arranged in 
the order of the comparative cost of a pound of the 
nutrient named, that standing first which is cheap- 
est, and the most expensive last. This order of 
arrangement of course has no regard to the order 
of costs or quantities of commercial foods, for the 
quantities required of the latter vary greatly, as 
shown by the preceding tables, and a food appar- 
ently more expensive than another may actually ]be 
cheaper. 

The figures are carried out to four places when 
the amounts are less than even cents, as rounding 
off would give too high results when multiplied. 
To express these decimals of a cent in fractions 
would make the figures less easy to handle. 

The cost of apples given is the only case wherein 
I am not thoroughly satisfied. No satisfactory in- 
formation could be obtained from wholesalers — dif- 
erent apples weighed differently per bbl. Eighteen 



78 THE ECONOMY OF FOOD. 

or twenty different retail grocers were called on, 
but there was no agreement whatever as to the 
weight of a bbl. or a measure of apples. Further- 
more, different grocers made a different number 
of pecks to the bbl., varying from nine to thirteen, 
etc., etc. As regards some other articles I made 
my own corrections, fbr example, potatoes, onions, 
sweet potatoes, etc. While the legal weights are 
one thing, the actual weights are quite another. 
You will notice several curious results — for in- 
stance, Table VII, corn, costs .02SG cents per lb., 
and the carbohydrates in it cost the same. Again, 
butter at 30c. per lb. costs less than the fat in milk. 
Here we have labor added and a cheaper product; 
but the price of milk is regulated by the cost of 
cartage and the loss in transit, which appear to 
overbalance the labor of butter making. 

The number of eggs required to make a pound, 
was determined by boiling about a dozen or more 
eggs, removing the shells, and weighing. A curi- 
ous fact was thereby discovered, viz., that eggs 
lose water by boiling them in water, the same 
as if heated in the open air. An egg weighing 55 
grm. before boiling weighed 51.2 grm. affer boiling 
thirteen minutes. 

While the figuring of these tables was quite com- 
plicated, the results will enable any one to estimate 
the costs of a pound of nutrients at any other mar- 
ket price, by simple proportion. An example 
of this is given in the case of beef,, moderately fat, 
in Table VI. In one case beef at 12 cents costs for 
a pound of protein .4647 cents, or about 46i cents; 
the other at 24 cents costs for a pound of protein 
93 cents— double the cost of beef obviously doubles 



EXPLANATORY LETTER. 79 

the cost of all its nutrients, hence doubles the cost 
of the pound of protein. I certainly would make a 
point of this so that readers can estimate the cost of 
nutrients for any fluctuations in market prices, or 
any variations in different parts of the country. 
The great use of these tables is the double one 
of showing people how to live cheaper, and that 
vegetable foods not alone supply all the nutrients, 
but for much less money, aside from other advan- 
tages. 

One thing is certain, any reader who does not 
even take the trouble to look at the figures, will see 
that any article of food that precedes another in 
the tables is cheaper than the succeeding article 
for the nutrient named ; and while but few would 
or could retain in the memory the actual costs of 
the nutrients, the order of arrangement would soon 
fix itself in the memory ; especially the cheapness 
of the vegetables and the expensiveness of flesh — 
that corn is cheapest and oysters and lager beer 
the dearest, etc. 

The calculations have been carefully checked, so 
that they can be relied upon. However, analyses 
vary considerably, and where I could I have aver- 
aged them. 

Troublesome as it would be, it would be a grand 
thing for some one not only to figure out the costs 
per pound of nutrients for all our foods, as well as 
the quantities of each food required for a pound of 
nutrient, but to make out economical bills of fare 
including a good variety, that would supply all the 
nutrients in sufficient quantities and in the right 
proportions to each other, for a man of a supposed 
weight of 100 lbs. Such a scheme would neces- 



80 THE ECONOMY OF FOOD. 

sitate getting the weights and volumes of foods 
after they are prepared for the table. This worked 
out and put in a practical shape would prove a 
great boon to our working classes, as well as to 
the poor in health. And such a scheme would be 
an undertaking. 

Yours truly, 

M. B. Manwaring. 



TABLE VI. 

Cost of One Pound 

FOODS* Market Prices of 

per pound. Protein. 

$, cents. $ cents. 

Corn (maize) .0286 .0574 

Oatmeal, common 0343 .06 

Flour, bolted 0306 .0644 

Rye Flour, common . . . .0343 .071 

Flour, whole wheat except outer shell .04 .0777 

Pease 0427 .0778 

Beans . . .0516 .095 

Buckwheat . . ... .043 40 

Potato, available protein — 85 cents ) amo - 10^* 

per bushel \ - 0i43 ' 12 ° 5 

Onions (bulbs) red, $1.35 per bushel .027 .1353 

Lentils ^ . . . . . .10 .1707 

Rice 

Sweet Potato, $1.35 per bushel . 

Barley, whole (granulated) 

Barley Flour, common . 

Gluten of whole wheat 

Onions (bulbs) white, $2. 13 per bushel .0426 .213 

Buttermilk, 4 cents per quart . 

Sago 

Apples, $2.00 per bbl. . 



.08 .1728 

.027 .189 

.09 .193 

.10 .2054 

.11 .2074 



.02 .236 

.10 .238 



.0171 .2482 



Mutton, very fat . . . . .125 .2717 



TABLE VII.— CARBOHYDRATES. 



81 



TABLE VI.— Continued. 



FOODS. 

Cheese, skimmed milk 

Cabbages 

Beef, fat 

Cheese, whole milk 

Codfish . . . .'.'.. 

Butter 

Cow's Milk, 8 cents per quart 

Veal, fat 

Mutton, moderately fat 
Grapes, native .... 
Beef, moderately fat . 

Veal, lean 

Beef, lean .... 
Beef, average .... 
Eels . . . 
Beef, moderately fat 



Market Prices 
per pound. 
$ cents. 
.14 
.02 
.12 
.18 
.08 
.30 
.0381 
.10 
.10 
.06 
.12 
.10 
.12 
.24 
.15 
.24 



Salmon 25 

Beef, lean .24 

Eggs, 9 7-10 without shell — 1 lb., ) 0Ai 

30 cents per doz y '^ l 

Lager Beer, 5 cents per glass of ) 1f > 

half pint j* au 

Oysters, 3 ) cents per quart, — 1£ \ OA 

lb. solid \ "^ 



Cost of One Pound 

of 

Protein. 

$ cents. 

.287 

.296 

.2974 

.312 

.3783 

.3881 

.39 

.396 

.4341 

.437 

.4647 

.486 

.547 

.5948 

.839 
" .93 
1.037 
1.094 

1.882 
2.855 
3.79 



TABLE VII. 



Costs of One Pound 

FOODS. Market Prices of 

per pound. Carbohydrates. 

$ cents. $ cents. 

Corn (Maize) 0286 .0286 

Oatmeal, common .... .0343 - .03 

Flour, bolted 0306 .0322 

Pease 0427 .0388 

4* 



82 



THE ECONOMY OF FOOD. 



TABLE VII.— Continued. 

FOODS. Market Prices 

per pound. 
$ cents. 

Rye Flour, common 0343 

Flour, whole wheat except outer shell .04 

Beans 0516 

Buckwheat 043 

Potato, 85 cents per bushel . . .0142 
Sweet Potato, $1.35 per bushel . .027 
Onions (bulbs) red, $1.35 per bushel .027 

Lentils .10 

Rice .08 

Barley, whole (granulated) . . .09 
Barley Flour, common . . . .10 
Grluten of whole wheat . . . .11 
Onions (bulbs) white, $2.13 per bushel .0426 
Buttermilk, 4 cents per quart . .019 

Sago 10 

Apples, $2.00 per bbl 0171 

Cheese, skimmed milk . . . .14 

Cabbages .02 

Cheese, whole milk 18 

Cow's Milk, 8 cents per quart . .0381 
Grapes, native . . . . .06 

Lager Beer, 5 cents per glass of i-pint .10 



Costs of One Pound 
of 
Carbohydrates. 
$ cents. 
.0354 
.0389 
.0476 
.051 
^.0617 
.0657 
.0673 
.0866 
.0867 
.0965 
.1028 
.1037 
.1063 
.1181 
.119 
.1242 
.1443 
.149 
.1561 
.1953 
.218 
1.427 



TABLE VIII. 



FOODS. Market Prices 

per pound. 
$ cents. 

Corn (maize) .0286 

Oatmeal, common . . . . .0343 

Flour, bolted . . . . . .0306 

Rye Flour, common . . . .0343 

Flour, whole wheat except outer shell .04 



Costs of One Pound 
of 
Fats. 
$ cents. 
.0492 
.0507 
.0553 
.0608 
.0666 



TABLE VIII.— FATS. 83 

TABLE VIII.— Continued. 

Costs of One Pound 

FOODS. Market Prices of 

per pound. Fats. 

$ cents. $ cents 

Pease 0427 .0666 

Beans 0516 .0813 

Buckwheat 043 .0854 

Potato, 85 cents per bushel . . .0142 .107 

Rice ....... .08 .148 

Lentils . .10 .1484 

Barley, whole (granulated) . . .09 .165 

Barley Flour, common . . . .10 .1758 

Mutton, very fat 125 .2325 

Gluten of whole wheat ... .11 .1779 

Cheese, skimmed milk . . . .14 .2474 

Beef, fat 12 .255 

Cheese, whole milk 18 .2676 

Butter 30 .331 

Cow's Milk, 8 cents per quart . . .0381 .335 

Veal, fat . . . . . . .10 .3396 

Mutton, moderately fat .10 .371 

Beef, moderately fat .12 .3977 

Veal, lean . . . . . . .10 .4318 

Beef, lean 12 * .469 

Codfish 08 .437 

Eels 15 .72 

Salmon 25 .89 

Eggs, 9 7-10 without shell = 1 lb., ) 9Ai 1 rn7 

30 cents per doz., . ... J '^ l 1 ' 0U ' 

Oysters, 30 cents per quart, = 1-J- } on Q ~ 

lb. solid ] •** 6 -*™ 



I have not deemed it necessary to enlarge these 
tables so as to have them include all articles used 
as food, interesting as it might have been. The 
reader can make similar calculations for himself if 
he wishes. I only desired to show that in practic- 



84 THE ECONOMY OF FOOD. 

ing economy in food the true way is to use the best 
foods from the vegetable kingdom, and less meat, 
bearing in mind always that articles which contain 
a large amount of protein are needed to supply the 
deficiency caused by the use of less flesh. It will 
also be noticed that the mineral matter of our food 
has been omitted from the calculation. The omis- 
sion, however, can not have any perceptible effect 
on the expense of food, important as these salts are 
in nutrition. 

It should be borne in mind that while the consti- 
tuents of some of the foods are low in price, yet 
the quantity of them in a pound is so small that 
a sufficient amount to meet the requirements of the 
body could not be obtained without consuming more 
than the digestive organs could manage. This is 
seen conspicuously in the case of the potato. It 
would require nearly 23J pounds of this vegetable to 
furnish 3 ounces of protein — an amount sufficient 
for a person weighing 100 pounds and doing only 
moderate work. This would at the same time fur- 
nish seven or eight times as much carbohydrates as 
are required. Milk is another example. It would 
require several pounds of milk daily to supply the 
protein for a man doing only moderate work and 
weighing 150 pounds. This would also supply him 
with about two-thirds of the fat required, but not 
nearly enough of the carbohydrates. 

I ought, perhaps, to remark that writers on diet- 
etics tell us that animal food is more easily digested 
than vegetable, and also that more of it is absorbed 
in the digestive processes, and> consequently, there 
is less tax on the organs of digestion, and this should 
be considered in discussing the economy of any 



MEAT EATERS' DIGESTION. 85 

food. There may be some truth in this, for those 
who have long habituated their stomachs to flesh, 
and who have debilitated them by sedentary and 
unhygienic habits; but for those who have lived 
in a more healthful and natural manner, I believe 
this objection has little or no force. The digestive 
organs, like all other organs of the body, are subject 
to the law of habit, and they do that most easily 
which they have been accustomed to do. 

Sir William Thompson says: "The meat eaters 
digestion is taxed with a far less quantity of solid 
food, but that very concentration in regard to quality 
entails on some stomachs an expenditure of force 
in digestion equal to that required by the vegetable 
eater to assimilate his much larger proportions." 

It must not be forgotten that economy of food is 
promoted by a right relation of the proportions be- 
tween its various constituents. Fats and starches 
cannot serve the purpose of protein. Protein, on 
the other hand, may take the place of the carbo- 
hydrates or fats, but only at a loss of 47 per cent, 
of the total amount transformed and used for pro- 
ducing heat. 

Something might be said of economy in food by 
saving rather than wasting. Very few know how 
much valuable material is thrown away. This is a 
fault of the rich and poor alike. Some years ago I 
asked a wealthy patient if he w^ould have an estimate 
made for me of the number of pounds of flesh used 
by each person in his family, including his servants. 
A few days later he brought me the statement that 
three pounds was about the amount purchased for 
each one; "but," he added, "I think two-thirds 
of it is wasted." The poor add to the expense of liv- 



8G THE ECONOMY OF FOOD. 

ing because they purchase such small quantities at a 
time; because often from pride they choose the most 
expensive articles, and because they do not prepare 
it so as to make it all available to the system. 

It is poor economy to buy stale vegetables, even 
at a reduced price. Fresh flour, fresh fruits and 
other articles are more healthful and more nourish- 
ing than if old. Even before decay has actually set 
in there has been a molecular change in the consti- 
tuents of the food which renders it less nutritious. 

There is also a loss from cooking some things too 
much or too little, and both these evils must be 
avoided. 

I am certain that there is a loss of nutriment in 
cooking most of our fruits. The real value of them 
cannot be determined by chemical analyses. Some of 
their properties are so subtle as to elude our grasp, 
but we feel their effects when we take them into our 
systems in refreshment. They no doubt act largely 
through the nervous system, and may be electrical 
in their nature. Cooking destroys this. I do not 
say that these articles should never be cooked, but 
only that there is loss in cooking them, especially if 
we can eat them perfectly fresh and alive. The life 
and soul of fruits are lost in cooking. The child 
understands this. With what delight he looks on 
the apple, the pear, the peach, the grape ! How he 
longs to clutch them in his hands and to hurry them 
into his mouth ! If used rightly their value to him 
is inestimable. 

In urging a larger use of vegetable food I do not 
forget that most persons w T ho prepare food have 
given more attention to the preparation of animal 
substances than vegetable, and so as a matter of 



MATERIA ALIMENTARIA. 87 

economy it will pay well to reverse this order and 
give vegetable foods more attention. Dr. B. W. Rich- 
ardson says on this subject: "Up to the present 
time so much more skill has been developed in the 
preparation of animal foods for the table than has 
been bestowed on vegetables that in order to give 
the vegetarian system the faintest chance a new 
school of cookery will have to be introduced in 
which there shall be taught not only modes of cook- 
ing, but the actual dietetic value of everything 
cooked and sent to the table." 

Sir James Paget estimates that the time lost in 
England and Wales yearly from sickness amounts 
to 20,000,000 weeks. This includes only losses of 
those between fifteen and sixty -five years of age, and 
does not include the trivial headaches and pains 
which do not keep one from his labor. If to this is 
added the sickness of those under fifteen and over 
sixty-five the loss becomes appalling. It is probably 
more in this country. 

It should not be forgotten that any food which 
promotes health and strength has in it an element 
of economy of the highest value. There can be no 
doubt but the waste of time and strength, and the 
expense of medical attendance which, in the aggre- 
gate, is an enormous sum every year, would be re- 
duced at least one half by choosing the best foods, 
and preparing them in the best manner. This can 
only be done by studying the subject as a science 
and as an art. Materia Medica i.s an important study- 
in all our medical schools. Materia Alimentaria) 
should be a still more important one for every hu- 
man being. Until this is the case economy of food, 
in its highest and best sense, will not be accom- 
plished. 



88 THE ECONOMY OP EOOD. 



A PRACTICAL LESSON. 



As a practical illustration of economy in food, to- 
gether with improved health, I give the following 
letter, among many in my possession, not as a 
model for others, for I know well enough that no 
two persons are alike in their needs, but to illustrate ' 
a principle. The letter is from Mr. A. H. Frank, a 
well-known inventor and manufacturer, whose 
machines have a world-wide use. Mr. Frank's let- 
ter is so full of interest that I shall give it entire 
and in his own words. 

Buffalo, N. Y., March 21, 1888. 
Dr. M. L. Holbrook : 

Dear Sir — I am in receipt of your letter of the 20th 
inst., reminding me of my promise when in New 
York to write you something of my manner of liv- 
ing, its cost, etc. I have experimented considera- 
bly during the past six years. Previous to that 
time I ate a mixed diet, eating more or less flesh 
meats ; I ate very sparingly of pies and cakes. The 
last three or four years of my eating meat my 
stomach was very weak. The last year I could not 
eat a full or average meal. At the age of fifty-eight 
I was what you might call a pretty well used-up 
man. Six years ago last August I discarded all flesh 
meats and animal fats, and have since that time 
greatly improved in health. I have had no further 
trouble with my stomach, unless I am careless and 
-eat too much, which is the only thing I have to 
guard against, as I have such a good appetite three 
times a day every day in the year, and my food 
tastes so delicious that, unless I am very careful, I 
eat too much before I am aware of it. Tea and 



MR. FRANK'S LETTER. 89 

coffee I place with tobacco and alcoholic drinks, 
and use none of them. I have not drunk a cup of 
tea since I was twelve years old, and never drank 
three cups of coffee in my life ; I am past sixty-four, 
have excellent health, can do fine work, or read 
without spectacles — never use them. I can do more 
work, either mental or physical, than on a mixed 
diet. I discarded butter and milk at the same time 
I did meat ; after about three years I backslid, so 
that I used milk for a while. It seemed to agree 
with me, but all the time I felt that it was degrad- 
ing to employ an old cow to eat for me, and wrong 
to rob the calves of what belonged to them, while 
I had an abundance of better food. I am free now, 
as I am weaned, and shall never eat it again. "When 
I once get my foot on a bad habit and make a pledge, 
or say I won't, it is for all time. I made several 
pledges over a half century since which have never 
been broken. I never drink at my meals, and sel- 
dom at any time, as it is often months at a time that 
I do not experience thirst. 

My principal food is fruit and bread with no salt 
with either; there is plenty of pure water in the 
fruit. I occasionally eat vegetables, which I salt 
a little ; I can't see that it makes any difference 
whether I eat salt or not. For three years I did not 
eat one ounce of salt. During that time I scarcely 
touched potatoes or other vegetables. JLJike them ; 
do not think them very bad, and as they are more 
palatable with salt I use it ; yet I think if I were to 
let them entirely alone and eat only the carrots, 
beans, peas and lentils, fruits and nuts, rich in 
vegetable oil, it would be quite as well. 

There is a great saving in living the way I do in 



90 THE ECONOMY OF FOOD, 

cost of food and the labor required to prepare it. I 
can live on anywhere from two to twelve cents a 
day. I feel just as well and strong when I eat what 
I can buy for two or three cents at retail as when I 
pay ten cents, but it is plainer than I care to live. 
I have tried it and did two men's hard work, eat- 
ing nothing but one pound of corn a day. I felt 
just as well and could see no difference in my 
strength than when I ate a greater variety. One 
pound of wheat which costs less than two cents, 
and two pounds of apples, which cost still less (buy- 
ing by the barrel or bushel), are more than a day's 
rations. If I add pears and grapes it doubles or 
trebles the cost. If families would adopt this plain, 
simple mode of living, none need want for food, and 
the pleasure of eating would on the average be in- 
creased four-fold. The housewife would also be re- 
lieved of full four-fifths of her labor in the kitchen, 
and doctors' bills would soon be reduced nineteen- 
twentieths, if not entirely dispensed with, intem- 
perance banished from the land, and the average 
length of life doubled in two generations of time. 
There is not wealth enough in the State to hire me 
to eat and drink as do the average of mankind. 

I will now describe how I make gems . I weigh my 
flour and water, then I know just what I have, and 
there is no guesswork about it. I use one pound of 
the best unbolted wheat flour to one pound water ; I 
use a cast iron gem pan with eleven cups, which 
takes one pound of flour to fill. I heat the pan as 
hot as a quick oven will heat it ; I stir the flour and 
water thoroughly and fill the gem pan as quickly as 
I can and bake as fast as it will bake without burn- 
ing. If baked quickly they will be light. I have 



ANOTHER CASE, 91 

made gems several hundreds of times in succession 
without having one heavy or soggy, If the pan is 
hot when filled and the oven hot, it forms a thin 
crust quickly which holds the air and steam, the 
expansion of which will make the gems light every 
time. In some instances I have had the gems burst 
with so much force as to jump out of the pan. A 
little salt can be used if preferred. 

I have stopped at my office long enough after the 
regular working hours to write what I have written. 
My day's work commences usually at 4.30 o'clock, 
A. M., and ends at 5.30, p. m., after which I drive 
two miles and care for my horse, and often do my 
cooking. I retire at nine o'clock. 

Yours very truly, A. H. Frank. 

I will extend this chapter to give one more case 
related by Met a Wellmer in Almonds and Raisins, 
for 1888. This writer says: "Ten years ago, in 
company with two gentlemen and a lady, I under- 
took a pedestrian tour to the banks of the lake of 
Geneva. In T., near Zurich, we visited a teacher, 
Mr. B. Arriving just at noon, when the family were 
about to dine, we were kindly invited to join their 
repast. But having just then sworn loyalty to the 
Pythagorean mode of life, we used only bread and 
fruit; and had already eaten our meal at eleven 
o'clock, under the shade of the green trees, in sight 
of the beautiful lake and the snow-capped heights. 
Round the table sat Mr. B. and his wife and six 
children ; the seventh, nine months old, was creep- 
ing, baby fashion, energetically on the floor. The 
meal consisted of cauliflower, roasted potatoes with 
cucumber salad, bread, fruit'and nuts. 



92 THE ECONOMY OF FOOD. 

" After the meal was ended, Mr. B. accompanied 
us a short distance on our journey, and told us a 
little of his life's experience. ' I have lived/ he said, 
' without animal food for more than eleven years, 
and in spite of my increasing family, I have saved 
enough money to buy the house in which I live and 
the garden surrounding it. Not one of those among 
my colleagues, who have had no inheritance, and 
have married for pure love, without gaining any 
dowry, possesses a house. My neighbors wonder at 
my success, and say I must have inherited money 
or won it in the lottery ; but the fact is, that my sole 
gain and inheritance consists in my method of liv- 
ing • whereas, with other people, all inheritance and 
gain is lost by going into their mouths and down 
their throats. Had I adopted this method twenty- 
one years ago, when I entered my profession, I 
might now have owned a villa, like the neighbor- 
ing merchants, and been able to let it to a tenant. 
But my savings increase year by year, and I have 
one advantage over some of my rich merchant 
friends, viz., that of perfect health, which they do 
not enjoy, living, as they do, contrary to the laws 
of nature. For eleven years neither doctor nor 
apothecary has had a penny of mine.'" 



CHAPTER VII. 
SIMPLICITY IN LIVING. 

Closely allied to economy in living is simplicity. 
In this respect we do not need to go to extremes. 
True simplicity .favors health, and in addition to 
it limits expense and saves the time wasted in the 
preparation of numberless complicated dishes. 

For children, simplicity is of the greatest im- 
portance whatever system of dietetics is adopted. 
This has been recognized the world over, even by 
the rich and by the learned. There can be no greater 
error in rearing a child than indulging its appetite 
in every sort of costly and unnatural viand. That 
its food should be nutritious and abundant no one 
denies. That its food should be appetizing and 
pleasing to its palate is self-evident ; but true luxu- 
ry may go hand in hand with simplicity. It is the 
good appetite that makes food taste sweet and gives 
enjoyment; without this nothing pleases. The 
same rule of simplicity applies to invalids as well 
as to children. They are often fed exclusively on 
milk, or are advised to eat largely of fruit, or 
brown bread, or baked potatoes and cream, or 
baked apples, or bread, milk and fruit, as the case 
may be. 

(93) 



94 SIMPLICITY IN LIVING. 

But if simplicity is proper for the child and for 
the invalid, why is it not also for the strong ? It is. 
What examples of simplicity were those of Sidney 
Smith, whose society often attracted the wealthy to 
share his single dish ; of Isaac Newton, who lived 
in the plainest way when thinking out his greatest 
works; of Franklin in his early life; of William 
Wordsworth; of Socrates, who taught that "men 
should abstain from meats which might cause a 
man to eat who had no need for food, or to drink 
without thirst.'' His wife, like many before and 
since, expecting guests, had made, she feared, 
inadequate provision for them. He replied: "If 
they be honest men it will be enough ; if not, what 
need we care for them ?" These are cases of simple 
living but high thinking. "Read the lives of our 
great men," says Prof .J. B. Mayor, " read the story 
of their greatness ; read of Hannibal and St. Paul, 
of Luther and Newton, of Wesley and John How- 
ard, and you will find temperance (simplicity) at 
the root of all their virtues." The same author, 
whose own life is one of most beautiful simplicity, 
continues : 

"This, then, is my first argument fdr plain liv- 
ing: it is a mighty bond between class and class. 
It breaks down a wall of partition between us and 
saints of old ; it is the casting off a weight that we 
may start fair for the race set before us. In two 
ways we can make people better off : by adding to 
their means or taking from their wants. The poor 
cannot ape the diet of the rich without ruin; the 
rich may take to the diet of the poor with infinite 
gain to mind, body and estate. Whence come dis- 
eases? 'From the kitchen,' say Plato and Senaca 



WHENCE COME DISEASES? 



^£^SsA_ 



and Milton. *Multos morbos multa ferctda feceriint, 
1 So many dishes, so many diseases^ ' Do you wish 
for health/ asked Abernethy. 'Live on sixpence a 
day and earn it.' Many say to me, 'You must be 
strong to bear what you do ; living on 2d. a day, 
indeed ; for shame ! ' I tell them : ' Your feasts, 
where there are twenty or thirty dishes, with a 
chaos of some hundred ingredients, hot and cold, 
sweet and sour, and several sorts of wine — this has 
been my cross. To try experiments in simplicity 
and cheap living is a source of great amusement to 
me.' Senaca puts it neatly : 'at isn't the living on 
bread and water that is the happiness ; but the be- \ 
ing able to be happy even on bread and water/J 

"Supposing nothing was spent in London this 
next month on fleshmeat, tobacco, opium, strong 
drink, tea, coffee, drugs, spices or other poisons, 
what a surplus you would have ! You could have 
fruit with every meal, and set farmers to work 
planting orchards ; you could have fresh vegetables 
and treble the number of gardeners ; money to buy 
books and time and brains clear for reading them ; 
bakers might learn to provide genuine wholemeal 
bread, and every one might have bread to spare ; 
every child, and for that matter every man and 
woman too, could have a cup of milk with every 
meal. Then the whole army of adulterators who 
make things for sale and not for use, the gentry 
who deal in oleomargerine and butterine and all 
else that ends in ine, would fall on their knees, 
crying, ' Peccavimas, do teach us some honest trade; 
puffing and lies have lost the ear o' th' world.' Be- 
ing no longer enemies of the cross of Christ, whose 
end is perdition, whose god is their belly, who mind 



96 SIMPLICITY IN LIVING. 

earthly things, we should know that our citizenship 
is in heaven. Verily old Hesiod is right : ' The halt 
is more than the whole,' And remember another 
of his sayings: 'Well begun is half done.' Begin 
to-morrow morning, begin wisely, and you will 
never repent. Or if you must go once more to the 
school of experience, that mistress of fools, make 
an honest experiment. Next time you are asked to 
a great dinner, say : * My host is my friend ; he 
wishes me well ; he wouldn't give me poison if he 
knew it ; I am safe with him.' Eat and drink what- 
ever is offered whenever you have the chance ; and 
send for the doctor that night and next morning 
and the morning after that. Mark your own symp- 
toms and the doctor's report. Do the same another 
time, with one exception : fast the second day. You 
will learn two lessons : (1) Enough is better than 
a feast, for feasting is folly; (2) Fasting is no 
cunning trick of priestcraft, but the most power- 
ful and safest of all medicines. Having learnt 
yourself, begin to teach . y When thou art converted, 
strengthen thy brethren. Issue flaming posters 
with a good clap-trap title. Fragments of science 
for the unscientific ! How to be healthy, wealthy 
and wise ! How to sup for a penny and rise next 
morning a wiser and a merrier man ! " 

There are benefits which come from simplicity 
which we can hardly estimate. The first is to 
woman. In most cases, how great are her cares; 
from early dawn to late at night she struggles and 
strives. How much of this struggling is to cook 
intricate dishes for her family and for her friends. 
"They expect," she says, "something more than 
a simple repast; they expect elaborately prepared 



BENEFITS OF SIMPLICITY IN FOOD. 9? 

food to tickle the palate and delight the eye." To 
some extent this is true, but it is not so true as 
many believe. Most persons feel themselves more 
than compensated when they eat with their friends 
if the food be simple and good, provided thought is 
stimulated and the spirits are enlivened and re- 
freshed. I have demonstrated this many times by 
giving simple but well-prepared and appetizing 
breakfasts without show or parade, and had my 
guests universally arise from the table with en- 
thusiastic words of praise over the delightful time 
they had had. I have known many others to do 
the same with similar results. On the other hand, 
how often have we all been pained when visiting 
friends, that so much of the time of the head of the 
house was given up to preparing food, which might 
have been dispensed with to the advantage of all. 

The other benefits are the invariably good appe- 
tite which comes from simplicity, the good diges- 
tion which comes from a well-treated stomach, the 
saving of time which can be devoted to higher pur- 
suits, and of money always needed for so many uses. 

Perhaps my readers will say, "Those who work 
must eat." To this I heartily agree, and I will 
quote a line from Prof. J. E. B. Mayor, M. A., 
who says: "I am bound to testify, having known 
Cambridge for thirty-six years, that the ordinary 
life of the men by whom the work of the University 
is done is simple in the extreme." So it has always 
been ; so it will always be. The world's workers live 
on wholesome, nourishing, but simple food. Even . 
Kaiser William, the German Emperor who died at 
ninety-one, would not eat the rich viands of his 
chief cook, but demanded the plainest fare. 

(5) 



CHAPTER VIII. 
FOOD AND INTEMPERANCE. 

There are a multitude of remedies for intemper- 
ance in drinking, some of which are advocated with 
a zeal which knows no bounds. In my opinion pro- 
gress in this direction must be largely the work of 
education and the diffusion of correct knowledge 
of the true value of life, and perfect control of all 
our faculties. When human beings have a good 
understanding of the great happiness which may 
come from perfect bodies and splendid health, and 
when they know that these conditions can only be 
secured by obedience to nature's laws of the body, 
then they will prize a knowledge of these laws and 
in some measure, at least, conform their conduct to 
them. 

And, now, what are the causes of intemperance, 
that hideous nightmare that darkens the lives of* 
so many of the children of the earth, that blights 
so many homes with a curse more terrible than an 
Egyptian plague. It is not possible here to go into 
this subject in all its fulness ; but a principal cause, 
intimately connected with our daily food, may be 
mentioned briefly. The craving for stimulants^ 
aside from the force of habit, hereditary and ac- 
quired, is, in a majority of cases, evidence of im- 

(98) 



THE CRAVING FOR STIMULANTS. 99 

paired vitality and deficient nerve f orce, the result 
of defective nutrition, either from insufficient or 
badly prepared food, or from a breaking down of 
the digestive functions by indulgence in excess- 
ive and over-stimulating articles of diet. In either 
case the results are mal-nutrition and deficient 
nervous energy. If I am right in this statement, 
then the greatest foe to intemperance is the sani- 
tarian, and especially the sanitary cook who knows 
how to feed people perfectly, so as to nourish them 
completely. 

When a man is thoroughly well he is always hap- 
py. It matters little whether he be rich or poor, 
learned or unlearned, his spirits overflow, and he 
has buoyancy and joyousness to spare. He has 
such a fulness of life that existence becomes a de- 
light, and he thanks Heaven for it. What does 
such a person want of stimulants ? They actually 
depress him. On the other hand, those deficient of 
vitality, or those whose nervous systems are so 
starved that they do not give out sweet music with 
every breath; those who are poor spirited; those 
whose hands and feet are cold, or who are depressed 
and downcast and feel that they are forsaken ; those 
who have overworked or eaten too much, or gone 
without food and sleep, are the ones who are most 
likely to have cravings for drink. Who has not 
known even temperate people when in this con- 
dition to take a little wine or beer to lift themselves 
up for a moment to the level of the healthy man ? 

Men and women take to stimulants not only to 
overcome exhaustion, but to drive away sorrow and 
care, even to drive away dullness and stupidity; 
but would men and women be dull, exhausted 



100 FOOD AND INTEMPERANCE. 

and stupid if they were full of animal vigor and 
overflowing- with strength ? 

So I repeat what I said before : That the greatest 
foe to intemperance is the _ sanitarian, the health 
reformer, and especially tho sanitary cook, who 
leads people into healthful habits of eating and 
drinking, of working and sleeping, of recreation 
and study. 

Every nutritious and healthful meal, neatly 
spread and partaken with thankfulness, is a tem- 
perance lesson. Every well-built house, with conve- 
niences for doing work easily and without waste of 
force, with well-arranged kitchen, bathrooms, sunny 
windows and good ventilation, is a temperance ser- 
mon. Every vegetable garden, rich with nutritious 
food, and every fruit farm abounding in luscious 
apples, grapes, peaches and pears is a foe to intem- 
perance. Every school where there is no over- 
crowding, where the brain is properly taken care 
of, so that it shall not be deranged, promotes tem- 
perance. On the other hand, everything that tends 
to lower human vitality: overwork, .. over-study, 
too little sleep, too little work, and especially bad 
food — all prolong the time when intemperance will 
produce its evil effects. Every bad cook who pre- 
pares unsavory, indigestible meals creates a demand 
for stimulants. 

Dr. Brunton, in a work of great originality and 
extensive research, on "The Physiology of Diges- 
tion," says what will be applauded by all: "Good 
cooking is one of the most effective means of stifling 
the craving for drink, which is the root of so much 
evil. Drink craving, in truth, depends as often as 
not on causes of a purely physical nature. Bad 



A STIMULUS TO TEMPERANCE. 101 

cooking is one of the causes of unequal thirst, and 
the 'demand' thus created leads very naturally to 
a ' supply' in the shape of alcoholics. The mental 
phase of contentment which supervenes on the 
digestion of food which has been savory and well 
cooked is a powerful stimulus to temperance; just 
as the opposite condition of badly-cooked meals 
suggests a remedy in the shape of liquor, which is 
often consumed under such circumstances greatly 
in excess of any needs the body may, physiologic- 
ally, exhibit for alcohol. This is well seen in Swit- 
zerland, where, when the food is by no means of 
a savory kind, a glass of 'schnapps' is resorted to 
for the purpose of ' tempering' the meal, and of ren- 
dering it more appetizing. There is probably a 
mental effect produced by a pleasant, well-cooked 
meal, which affects the brain and nervous system 
in an appreciable manner, but one at the same time 
difficult to explain. Be this as it may, there seems 
no reason to doubt that good cookery and temper- 
ance are sworn allies ; carelessness in preparing 
food, and, it may be added, in feeding at large, 
is the equally stanch ally of intemperance and 
excess." 



CHAPTER IX. 

ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF THE VEGETABLE 
KINGDOM. 

I will in this chapter consider some of the im- 
portant alimentary products of the vegetable king- 
dom. 

WHEAT. 

The most extensively used and most important 
is wheat. There are many varieties, differing 
somewhat in chemical composition, their general 
characteristics being the same. The outer portion 
of the berry is composed of an exceedingly dense, 
hard layer, very coherent, and of a woody , nature, 
It protects the valuable nutritious, starchy and 
nitrogenous material within. It is indigestible. 
Below this is a layer of albuminous or nitrogenous 
material, containing a trace of fat and considerable 
mineral matter. This layer has very high aliment- 
ary value; and by the older processes of milling 
was partly separated with the bran ; by the modern 
and improved method it is mostly saved, "A portion 
of the nitrogenous matter of this coat is known as 
cerealine, and has some value as a digestive fer- 

(102) 



COMPOSITION OF WHEAT. 103 

ment, helping to change starch into dextrine. The 
central portion of the berry is composed mainly, 
but not altogether, of starch. 

Wheat is rarely used in its entire state as an arti- 
cle of food. There is, however, a growing tendency 
to the use of whole wheat, or at least to the use of 
all except the thinnest outer cuticle. There is no 
doubt that this would be a great advantage to most 
persons, both from the standpoint of health and 
nutrition. 

The " whole meal 5 ' from which nothing has been 
separated contains (as given by Blythe) the fol- 
lowing : 

Water 14.0 

Nitrogenous substances, part of which is \ 

gluten, a portion of which cannot serve > 21.8 

for nutrition ) 

Carbohydrates : Fat, 1.2 ; Starch, 59.7 . 60.9 

Woody Fiber, Cellulose .... 1.7 

Mineral matter 1.6 



100.00 



The white flour from which the bran has been 
seDarated has, according to this authority, the fol- 
lowing composition . 

Water 16.5 

Gluten and other nitrogenous bodies . 8.59 

Nitrogenous substances not albuminous . 3.41 

Carbohdyrates : Fat, 1.2; Starch, 69.G . 70.8 

Mineral matter ...... .7 



100.00 



By glancing at the analyses it will be seen that 
wheat has one important defect. It is almost en- 



104 ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLES. 

tirely deficient in fat ; but it contains a very large 
amount of carbohydrates and of albuminous matter. 
We add butter to bread to supply this fat. 

A BEAUTIFUL MICROSCOPIC OBJECT. 

A beautiful object for the microscope is a very 
thin section of this grain. Almost any person may 
prepare one by soaking a kernel in warm water 
until it becomes soft, and cutting it with a very 
sharp razor. The cuticle or bran, in two or three 
not very well defined layers, is outermost. Just 
under it is a layer of gluten cells, nearly square. 
The gluten granules are thickly packed within. 
They are darker colored than the starch cells, 
which lie immediately beneath and extend to the 
center. The latter are filled with shining starch 
granules of many sizes. Altogether it makes a 
very beautiful and interesting picture. 

Wheat is prepared in an almost endless variety 
of ways for food ; but in this place I will mention 
only one which is less known than others. In my 
boyhood days I was rather fond of experimenting 
on food products — a trait I have not entirely lost, 
else I never should have prepared this work. I 
said to my good mother, who always indulged me 
in my experiments, "Why can't wheat be boiled 
like rice and served with sugar and cream ? " 
She said, "Try it." So I took some nice white 
wheat, boiled it till thoroughly cooked, and served 
it up with cream and sugar, much to my own de- 
light and that of others. This is a very simple, 
cheap, nutritious and easily digested dish, the only 
danger being in eating it unmasticated. It requires 
for each mouthful the thirty-two Gladstonian bites. 



COMPOSITION OF OATS. 105 



OATS. 



The oat, less used than wheat as a food for man, 
is in some respects its superior, for it contains con- 
siderable oil. Under the microscope its structure 
is seen to be similar. Prof. Blythe says : "The oat 
possesses all the constituents necessary for the 
maintenance of high bodily vigor, and is one of 
those complex foods that, especially with the ad- 
dition of a little fat, is capable of supporting life 
for an indefinite period. In the border forays of 
the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the provisions 
carried by the Scotch was simply a bag of oatmeal."' 

For centuries it has been a prominent article of 
food among the Scotch ; and it is unfortunate that 
as its use is being largely extended in other civil- 
ized countries it is less used there, especially in the 
towns. The reason given for this is the desire of 
the young people to live as other people do, upon 
hot biscuit and fine bread, The injurious effects of 
this change can already be seen. 

The average composition of oats is given in the 
following table : 

Water 12.93 

Nitrogenous matters analogous to gluten 9.78 

Nitrogenous matters which do not serve \ ^05 

for purposes of nutrition . . ) 

Fat , . . 6.04 

Carbohydrates : Sugar, 2.22 ; Dextrine and ) ^ a<> 

Gum, 2.04 ; Starch, 51.17 ) 

Woody Fiber 10.83 

Mineral matter 3.03 



100.00 
5* 



106 ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLES. 



THE MOST STRENGTHENING FOOD. 

A German author, Dr. Winckler, writes as fol- 
lows concerning oats as a food for man : 

"Of a very powerful man we often and truly say : 
'He has the strength of a horse/ 'He has a 
horse's nature/ or 'He can maintain himself 
against the strength of a horse/ The working 
power of a horse is so considerable that we measure 
the power of machinery by 'horse power/ Watt 
and Boulton measured the power of horses in the 
London breweries and found them capable of per- 
forming 33,000 foot pounds per minute. Whence 
does the horse derive his wonderful strength ? From 
oats. But the oat does not grow for the horse alone. 
Man can employ it for nourishment, and is able to 
prepare from it many delicious foods and drinks 
which render his body large and his strength en- 
during. 

"The old Germans, whose soldier-like forms and 
great bodily strength excited the astonishment of 
the Romans, lived chiefly upon oatmeal porridge, 
according to the positive evidence of Pliny. The 
oat was, therefore, the food of our forefathers, who 
evidently at some time brought it from their Asiatic 
homes. The Romans learned of the oat from the 
Germans and the Celts. The German races long 
maintained this as their original national food. In 
the eighteenth century we still find that the youth 
in many parts of Germany were brought up prin- 
cipally on oatmeal porridge. Now, unfortunately 
the potato is the daily food of the poor people, and 
only in Scotland is oatmeal the national dish. We 
all know that the Scottish Highlanders are the most 



THE OAT A FOOD OF THE FIRST RANK. 107 

muscular men in all Europe, and the Scottish regi- 
ments form the flower of the British army. 

"That the oat is a food of the first rank one may 
know from its chemical composition. Its constitu- 
ents are mixed in such proportions as to form an 
almost ideal diet for the human body, as a compari- 
son of them with mother's milk, the original type 
of food, clearly shows. 

"The milk of a healthy woman contains in 1,000 
grains, 110.16 grains of solid constituents, and in L 
these 110.16 grains we find 14 grains of nitrogenous*^ 
material, while in 100 grains of oatmeal there are 
14.39 grains of the same. This remarkable agree- 
ment is confirmed by practice, for we can feed a 
suckling child with oatmeal gruel; and the best 
kinds of children's prepared foods made to replace 
the mother's milk consist mainly of oatmeal. 

"The constituents of the oat in starch amount to 
about 50 per cent. Its fatty matter is very consid- 
erable. Oats and corn surpass all other cereals 
in this respect. "Wheat contains only 1.8 per cent. ; 
rye, 2.25 per cent.; barley, 2.76 per cent.; while 
the oat contains 6.4 per cent, of fat. For this rea- 
son the oat is especially useful in cold climates, 
where a greater amount of fatty food is necessary. 
Very important also are the salts of the oat, con- 
sisting as they do of mineral substances, important 
for the blood and required by the tissues. In this 
regard the oat exceeds other grains. 

"In wheat there is from 1.4 to 1.9 per cent, of min- 
eral matter; rye contains 2 per cent.; barley, 3.1, 
and the oat 3.25 per cent. In 100 parts of the ash 
of the oat, according to Bibra, we find 19.24 of pot- 
ash; 2.24 of soda; 3. of lime; 6.03 of magnesia; 



108 ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLES. 

25.14 of phosphoric acid; 3.07 of sulphuric acid; .39 
of silica acid; 1.66 of chloride of sodium, and .42 of 
oxide of iron. The oat has also a very fine aroma, 
which stimulates digestion. - Owners of horses well 
know how favorably it affects the appetite of those 
animals. Every food possesses an aroma to a cer- 
tain degree ; but that from the oat much surpasses 
the aroma of other grains. 

"Foods prepared from the oat prove to be a most 
certain means of strengthening the body when 
all other so-called strengthening foods leave us in 
the lurch. I know of no means of resurrecting a 
broken constitution so good as using oatmeal gruel 
freely ; and I know that weak persons in their ad- 
vance toward health and strength will thank me 
for this advice. " 

Lean and debilitated persons can often, and in 
the shortest time, "feed up." Pale-faced young 
women, and women debilitated from confinement, 
whom we constantly see growing worse under a 
diet of beef steak and beef tea, and wine and iron 
preparations, often become blooming as soon as they 
are properly nourished upon oatmeal broth and oat- 
meal soup, to which should be added an out-door life. 
It is also excellent for badly-developed children, 
more especially during those years devoted to school 
life — a period which makes extraordinary demands 
on the childish organization. In short, the oat, in 
its varied forms, is an invaluable source of strength 
for both the sound and the unsound. It requires 
the same thorough mastication as was mentioned 
for wheat, otherwise it will not be perfectly di- 
gested. Some people think that they cannot use 



THE COOKING OF OATMEAL. 109 

oatmeal. Let them masticate it thoroughly, and 
they will very rarely find any difficulty from its 
use. 

THE COOKING OF OATMEAL. 

Scotch or Irish meal is best, because so perfectly 
clean and white ; but these take a longer time to 
cook than the American steam-cooked preparations, 
and are not to be had everywhere. If the former 
are used, then an hour and a half will be required 
to cook them perfectly, and perfect cooking is of 
the utmost importance. A pot lined with agate or 
granite should be used, of a size large enough to 
allow the meal to swell, which it does consider- 
ably. When the water boils up briskly stir the 
meal in slowly, using a wooden spoon. Do not let 
it boil over, as it is the best and creamiest part that 
foams at the top. About half a pound of meal is 
sufficient for four pints of water. Keep stirring it 
gently until the porridge has become moderately 
thick, when it may be set over a slower fire and 
cooked till it is done, remembering to stir it occa- 
sionally. It is best to leave the spoon in the pot, 
as this helps to prevent burning and spoiling the 
porridge. The degree of thickness will depend on 
circumstances. For hard-working men, and those 
with strong digestions it may be quite thick ; but 
for children and invalids less so. 

If steam-cooked cereals are used, it certainly is a 
great saving of time, though the flavor is not so 
fine nor the strength so great; the process is the 
same, only a little less water is required, and from 
twenty to thirty minutes are sufficient for prepar- 
ing them. When poured from the pot it should 



110 ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLES. 

have a creamy appearance. It will thicken a little 
after it is taken out. The amount of salt required 
will depend on the taste. I prefer a small amount ; 
and if not enough is put in more may be added 
afterward. 

"A glassful of good new milk/' says Carodoc 
Granhim, "should accompany porridge; but the 
milk should not be poured on the warm porridge. 
The cold milk soddens the porridge, and the hot por- 
ridge impairs the flavor of the milk by making it 
neither hot nor cold. But a spoonful of hot por- 
ridge, dipped into the fresh cold milk, acquires a 
piquancy which the palate discriminates and rel- 
ishes ; for one can become an epicure in porridge." 

If any be left over it may be re-cooked with 
next morning's portion, breaking it into the hot 
water before stirring in the dry meal. This sec- 
ond cooking rather improves it than otherwise. 
Cold water should never be used for preparing 
oatmeal porridge if it is desired to bring out its 
best qualities. Some add a little brown sugar 
and butter to the oatmeal while cooking; but 
while this may increase its nourishing qualities I 
could never see that it improved the flavor. 

Oatmeal porridge is rather more difficult of diges- 
tion than wheat meal, and this has caused some 
physicians and others to exclaim against it. Where 
this is the case it is pretty good evidence that the 
digestive organs have lost their full power. The 
true remedy would be to restore their tone, and also 
at the same time to pay the strictest attention to 
mastication, so as to bring a large amount of saliva 
into it to act on its starch. 

Men may do heavy work on this food, and they 



GREAT FEAT IN RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. Ill 

may go to their labor immediately after eating 
without injury, which is not the case with many 
foods. This was illustrated in the remarkable feat 
performed by the Great Western Railway Company 
in the summer of 1872. The rails of 500 miles of 
the road were changed from the broad to the nar- 
row gauge in two week's time. They were held 
down by nuts and bolts, and these had to be un- 
screwed and replaced after moving the heavy rails 
two feet. About 3,000 men were employed, and 
they worked from four in the morning till nine at 
night. To generate sufficient force, in addition to 
the bread, cheese, cocoa and bacon a pound and 
a half of oatmeal was served to each man daily. 
It was sprinkled with sugar, well cooked into a 
thin gruel in pots on stones close to their work, and 
taken as food and drink combined whenever they 
were thirsty. The men liked it exceedingly; no 
beer or alcohol was allowed. The work was fin- 
ished within the prescribed time, and not one man 
became sick or drunk. 

OATMEAL GRUEL AND MILK. 

Oatmeal gruel made from fine oat flour is a very 
strengthening food, often tolerated by the weakest 
stomach which will bear little else. Oatmeal 
milk is a healthful and nourishing drink made as 
follows : Put into a goblet or bowl a tablespoonful 
of oatmeal and a teaspoonful of sugar. Fill the 
bowl with boiling water, and stir it thoroughly till 
all the meal is dissolved that will. Then pour off 
the fluid part and drink hot or cold as is preferred. 
Oatmeal has certain stimulating qualities which are 



112 ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLES. 

very remarkable. These are extracted and used as 
medicines by physicians. 

BARLEY. 

Barley is not much used for food, though pearl 
barley forms a constituent of many soups and 
broths, and barley flour makes a very digestible 
gruel for invalids. It is greatly improved in its 
taste for gruel by adding twenty-five per cent, of 
fresh finely-ground oatmeal flour. 

Its composition is as follows : 

Water . . 15.08 

Digestible nitrogenous substances . . 9.79 

Indigestible " " . 1.96 

Fat 1.71 

Carbohydrates . . . . . . 70.90 

Woody Fiber ...... .11 

Mineral matter .47 



100.00 
RYE. 

Rye forms an important article of food in many 
European countries, and in early times was much 
used in New England, but its place^has been largely 
taken by other grains. It is less nutritious and less 
palatable than wheat, has a darker color, and a 
slightly acid taste. On account of its somewhat 
laxative action it has considerable value in counter- 
acting obstinate constipation. The following is the 
best method of preparing it for this purpose : Clean 
your rye in fresh water, dry it, grind it coarsely in 
a coffee mill; wet up into a moderately stiff dough 
and roll out into a thin sheet, cut up into thin 
cakes and bake hard in a hot oven. One or two of 



INDIAN CORN. 113 

these cakes broken into a teacup of boiling water 
"and taken before breakfast is an almost infallible 
remedy for constipation. These dry cakes will keep 
a long time in a cool, dry place. 

It is subject to a disease known as "spurred rye," 
the kernel of which is of a dark brown color, de- 
veloped enormously beyond the husk. This spurred 
rye is a dangerous poison, sometimes causing death. 

Its composition, as given by leading authorities, 
is as follows : 

Nitrogenous matter 8.0 

Carbohydrates 73.2 

Fatty matter 2.0 

Saline matter 1.8 

Water • . . 15.0 



100.00 

Composition of dried rye : 

Nitrogenous matter 12.50 

Starch . . . . - . . . . 64.65 

Dextrine, etc. 14.90 

Fatty matter 2.25 

Cellulose. 3.10 

Mineral matter 2.60 



100.00 



INDIAN CORN 

9 Indian corn is indigenous to America, and con- 
stituted an important article of food for the Indians 
before Columbus found his way here. It is also 
cultivated in Southern Europe and Africa. Like 
wheat it has an external woody layer for protec- 
tion, below which is a layer of gluten cells, and 



114 ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLES. 

under these the starch cells, which are of peculiar 
shape, being smaller than the starch cells of wheat* 
and many-sided. Corn is quite extensively used 
for food in Mexico, in the Southern United States 
and to a considerable extent in the Northern States. 
It is very largely exported to Europe, and is, for- 
tunately, partially taking the place of the potato 
in Ireland. 

Its greatest use, however, is for feeding cattle 
and horses, and for fattening pigs. Under the most 
favorable conditions it takes three pounds six 
ounces of shelled corn to make a pound of pork. To 
accomplish this the hog must be kept quiet, clean, 
warm and comfortable. Corn fed in the ear makes 
on an average nine pounds of pork to one bushel of 
ears. If the ears are ground, cob and all, and fed 
uncooked, a bushel will make twelve pounds of 
pork. If the corn be ground and cooked, a bushel 
will make fifteen pounds of pork. 

By comparing the chemical constituents of one 
pound of pork with three pounds six ounces of 
shelled corn, it will hardly need the aid of a chem- 
ist to show that corn, as a food for man/besides 
being cheaper, contains much more nourishment 
and consequently there is great waste in feeding 
it to pigs to change it into food. 

Corn is rich in oil and in starch, but less rich 
in nitrogenous matter than wheat or oats. There 
are very many varieties, all differing in chemical 
composition, and especially in the, amount of oil, 
which sometimes falls as low as three per cent., 
and sometimes rises as high as nine percent. The 
oil of corn differs from animal oil in containing 
fatty acids. 



„ RICE. 115 

Its average composition is given by Blythe in 
the following table : 

Water 17.10 

Nutritive nitrogenous matter . . 10.91 

Non-nutritive nitrogenous matter . . 1.89 

Oil or Fat 7.00 

Carbohydrates : Dextrine and Sugar, 1.5 ; j 

Starch, 59.0 ... . . . \ 60M 

Mineral matter 1.10 

Cellulose ....... 1.50 



100.00 
RICE. 

Rice forms a chief article of food for about one- 
third of the human race, especially for those living 
in warm climates, for whom it is well adapted. It 
is extensively grown in some of the Southern States, 
and tha.t produced in South Carolina is equal, if not 
superior, to any in the world. Its chief constitu- 
ent is starch ; it contains almost no fat and but a 
comparatively small amount of nitrogenous sub- 
stance. 

The starch of rice is very superior in quality, and 
very easily digested, owing, perhaps, to the fact 
that the amount of woody matter around the cells 
is very small. Its deficiency in nitrogenous matter 
and oil renders it defective as a chief article of diet. 
It is possible that the small stature of many Hin- 
doos, who live largely upon rice, is owing partly to 
its lack in tissue-building material. It is well suited 
to invalids needing hydrocarbons and to the old, 
who require easily-digested foods, also as an adjunct 
to other foods it has value. Its whiteness when 
properly boiled makes it very beautiful. 



116 ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLES. 

The following is its composition (Blythe) : 

Water 14.41 

Nitrogenous substances .... 6.94 

Fat - . .51 

Starch 77.61 

Woody Fiber ,08 

Ash .45 

100.00 
BEST METHOD OF PREPARING RICE. 

Rice may be prepared in many ways, but I regard 
the following as the best : 

1. — Boil it carefully, so not to break up the ker- 
nels, and eat with cream and sugar or milk, or with 
fruits in their season. In this form it is quickly 
digested. 

2. — The most satisfactory pudding from it is 
made as follows : Take two teacups of rice, five 
quarts of milk and one cup of sugar • stir them to- 
gether in a pan and bake slowly for two or three 
hours. This will furnish sufficient for dessert for 
twenty persons, and is equally good, if not better, 
when it is cold. 

BUCKWHEAT. 

Buckwheat is highly nutritious and wholesome 
when properly prepared. Its composition is as fol- 
lows: 

Nitrogenous matter . . . . . 13.10 

1 Starch, etc . 64.90 

Fatty matter . . . . . ., . 3.00 

Cellulose 3.50 

Mineral matter ..'."'. . . . . 2.50 

Water 13.00 

100.00 



THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BEAN. 117 

PEAS, BEANS AND LENTILS. 

The bean is a very important food, and it is des- 
tined to become much more extensively used than 
even now. There are many varieties, as there are 
of wheat and corn, with slight difference in their 
chemical constituents. 

The special characteristic of the bean, as com- 
pared with cereals, is a less amount of starch and 
a larger amount of nitrogenous matter. This ren- 
ders it an excellent substitute for flesh meat. All 
experience goes to show that it is a more satisfying 
vegetable product for hard-working men than al- 
most any other. In Catholic countries, especiall}^ 
France, where flesh food is less used, and where 
during Lent and on Fridays it is proscribed, legu- 
minous products are more extensively used than 
elsewhere. They are much used by the vegetarians 
of India and China, and in some of the provinces, 
especially in those parts where the people have the 
strongest and best developed bodies. 

In Japan the bean is made into a curd, a most 
nutritious article of diet, and the nearest approach 
in its chemical constituents to animal food of any 
of the vegetable foods. A very full account of the 
mode of preparing and using it was published by 
the United States Government in the consular re- 
ports for 1886. This curd is used in soup, croquetts 
and a hundred other ways, and is said to be well 
liked. It might to our advantage be introduced 
into this country, and so might the soy bean gen- 
erally used in Japan and China, which is richer in 
fat than our own beans. Its composition is given 
by Prof. Koch in his paper on " The Agricultural 
Chemistry of Japan," as follows : 



118 ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLES. 

Water , 11.32 

Mineral matter . . . . . 3.86 

Fat o 20.89 

Albuminoids ...... 37.75 

Wood Fibre 2.00 

Starch 24.08 

Loss .10 



100.00 



The bean is more difficult of digestion than other 
vegetable products, and this is, perhaps, one reason 
why persons with weak powers of digestion are 
unable to use them. If, however, they be prop- 
erly prepared, thoroughly masticated, and instead 
of being eaten in large quantities once or twice a 
week are eaten in small amounts daily we should 
have less complaint of their indigestibility. Beans 
are more digestible when vinegar or some acid is 
added to them. 

Blythe, in his little work, "Diet in Belation to 
Health and Work," says: "To utilize the legu- 
minous foods to the best advantage, they require to 
be finely ground into meal and to be thoroughly 
cooked. An experiment by A. Strtimpell bears on 
this. Leguminous meal was made into cakes, with 
suitable mixtures of eggs, butter and milk, and 
eaten, and compared with the result of eating the 
same substance without grinding, but first soaking 
in water and then boiling. In the first case 91.8 
per cent, of the nitrogen was absorbed; but in the 
second only 59.8, so that nearly one-half of the 
' vegetable meat ' was wasted." 



COMPOSITION OP BEANS, ETC. 



119 



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120 ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLES. 

THE POTATO. 

The potato was introduced into Europe from 
America about the year 1585. The three hundredth 
anniversary of its introduction was celebrated in 
England in 1885 by an exhibition, and by many in- 
teresting papers on the history of this vegetable. 
It is somewhat uncertain to whom its introduction 
was due, although Raleigh has received the most 
credit for it. For nearly two hundred years it was 
not much prized, and it is hardly over one hun_ 
dred years since its use became general throughout 
Europe and America. 

The potato is composed, aside from nearly 76 
per cent, of water, mainly of starch ; and, indeed, 
as the source of the carbohydrates it furnishes an 
abundant supply at a very low cost. Its great de- 
ficiency is fat and nitrogenous substances. A por- 
tion of its nitrogen exists in the form of solanine, 
which is very poisonous ; but as this is mainly in 
the peeling, it rarely causes any injury. Solanine 
is quickly destroyed by heat in baking the potato, 
and this is, perhaps, one reason why baked potatoes 
are more wholesome for invalids and those with weak 
powers of digestion. The poison is, no doubt, also ex- 
tracted into the water by the process of boiling. 

Potatoes should be thoroughly masticated in or- 
der to bring them under the influence of the saliva 
for their most perfect digestion, as the gastric juice 
of the stomach would have little or no influence 
upon them. Indeed, if accepted theories of digestion 
be correct, not much of the potato is digested in the 
stomach. With some fatty and oily food, and brown 
bread and beans, a cheap diet might be prepared, ca- 
pable of supporting life and bodily vigor indefinitely. 



THE SWEET POTATO. 121 

Potatoes require care in cooking, so that they 
will be mealy, and not sodden. In the latter con- 
dition they are neither wholesome nor agreeable. 

The composition of the uncooked potato according 
to the mean of 70 analyses is as follows : 

Water . . . . . . . . . 75.77 

Nutritive nitrogenous substances . . .84 

Non- nutritive " * k . .95 

Fatty matter ....... .16 

Starch ........ 20.56 

Woody Fiber .75 

Ash 97 

100.00 

THE SWEET POTATO. 

Another delicious tuber is the sweet potato. It is 
said to be indigenous in the Malagan Archipalago, 
growing wild in the woods. It requires a warmer 
climate, and a warmer soil, than the common potato, 
and more care in raising. It is cultivated in the 
south of Europe, in India, and in America; but, 
since the introduction of the Irish potato, its use in 
Europe is somewhat less. Its composition differs 
considerably from the common potato, and it is a 
little more expensive article of diet. 

Its composition, according to Payan, is as follows: 

Nitrogenous matter . . . . . 1.50 

Starch ........ 16.05 

Sugar 10.20 

Cellulose ....... .45 

Fatty matter 30 

Other organic matter . . . . 1.10 

Mineral salts 2.60 

Water 67.80 

100.00 
6 



122 ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLES. 

THE ONION. 

The onion is used extensively throughout the 
civilized world, and is very nutritious. Those 
grown in northern climates are stronger and less 
delicate than those grown in warm latitudes. 

In Spain and Portugal the raw onion, with bread, 
often forms a dinner for the working man. The 
peculiar taste of the onion is, in a large part, due to 
an acrid, volatile, sulphurous oil, much of which is 
dissipated by boiling. 

Onions sliced into beans, peas or lentils and boiled 
with them improve the flavor of the latter,, and 
strange to say, entirely lose their odor and power 
to taint the breath. 

Its average composition is (Blythe) : 

Water . . 64.66 

Nitrogenous matter 6.76 

Fat . . . 0.C6 

Mtrogen free, extractive matter . . 26.31 

"Woody Fiber 77 

Mineral matter 1.44 



1Q0.00 
OTHER ROOm. 



The carrot, parsnip, turnip, beet and radish have 
little nutritive value, being mostly water. They 
cannot be said to be important articles of diet, but 
for change and variety they have some value. 
They are also useful in making vegetable soups. 



THE CABBAGE. 



The cabbage tribe is large, including as it does 
cauliflower, broccoli, Kohl-rabiand some others. 



RHUBARB, CELERY, ETC. 123 

They contain about 90 per cent, of water, and con- 
sequently little nourishment. When fresh, crisp 
and tender they have a delicate, almost delicious 
taste, and for those who live upon highly concen- 
trated food they must be useful. 

SPINACH. 

The leaves of the spinach are tender, especially 
in the spring of the year. They furnish an early 
fresh vegetable, which may be considered very 
wholesome, more particularly for those who suffer 
from constipation. Like cabbage, it contains about 
90 per cent, of water. 

RHUBARB. 

This vegetable is said to be a relative of the buck- 
wheat tribe. It furnishes much acid, similar to 
fruit acids, and is useful as an early vegetable. 

CELERY. 

The use of celery is extending rapidly, and when 
properly grown furnishes a delicious relish and con- 
siderable nutriment. It has some reputation as 
an antidote for rheumatism; but other appetizing 
fruits are, no doubt, equally useful. It has also a 
reputation for promoting sleep. 

ASPARAGUS. 

The young and tender shoots of the asparagus 
furnish an early and and an appetizing food, with 
only a small amount of nutriment. It is a diuretic, 
and contains over 93 per cent, of water. 



124 ALIMENTARY PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLES. 

LETTUCE. 

Lettuce has been cultivated and eaten from time 
immemorial. The head of the lettuce, when crisp 
and tender, makes a digestible and wholesome salad. 
I once had a patient who seemed to object to every 
form of food I offered. I said, "Is there anything 
you can eat ?" and the reply was, "I crave lettuce.' 
I brought a large plate of the tenderest lettuce I 
could find in the market, with proper dressing, and 
told my patient to eat all the appetite called for ; 
she did so with a most excellent result. Good, 
fresh, tender lettuce contains about 95 per cent, of 
water. 

CRESS. 

The young leaves of the garden cress make an 
agreeable and healthful salad, much esteemed. 
Watercress, a creeping plant which grows in slowly- 
running cold spring water, is an appetizing and 
wholesome plant, somewhat pungent to the taste, 
and containing little nutriment. 






CHAPTER X. 
FRUITS. 

Writers on dietetics do not rank fruits as highly 
as they deserve, because they are guided by the 
chemist, who finds much less solid matter in them 
than in the grains. From this standpoint they do 
rank low; but their value is not to be estimated 
in this way. They possess precious qualities and 
virtues not yet known to chemistry. Their juices, 
distilled in Nature's laboratory, need no boiling or 
filtering, and never convey the germs of disease. 
How easily they go through the tissues of the body, 
leaving their precious salts of potash, soda, phos. 
phorus, or whatever they may be, taking up the 
broken-down debris of the system and carrying it 
off ! Their acids, how refreshing ; their salts, how 
stimulating ; their delicious flavors, how they play 
on the nervous system ! They clog not, neither do 
they cloy. A physician writes to me on this sub- 
ject, saying : 

"There is scarcely a disease to which the human 
family is heir but the sufferings therefrom would 
be greatly relieved or entirely prevented by the use 
of fruits, which are now so generally forbidden. 
Many diseases would be conducted to a safe ter- 
mination by the free use of fruits, because of the 

(125) 



126 FRUITS. 

acids they contain. When our troops were fighting 
the Seminoles in Florida, many were sick with 
diarrhea and dysentery, and cured these disorders 
by stealing from the hospitals into the fields and 
eating fruits, blackberries especially. I have sent 
several children suffering with cholera infantum 
and with dysentery to the peach orchards of Dela- 
ware, with most gratifying results ; and where they 
could not be carried to the orchards to pick and eat 
the fruit fresh from the trees, I have had the little 
sufferers fed with sound fruit with equally good 
results. 

"In typhoid fever, in the treatment of which such 
extraordinary care is enjoined as regards diet, fruits 
are not only often highly grateful to the patient, 
but work most favorable results. A physician who 
had been sick some weeks with this disease, says 
his diarrhea was cured by peaches. ' I ate the half 
"of a large peach/ said he, "and feeling no ill ef- 
fects I ate the other half, then one or two more, and 
'fhe next day as many as I desired. My bowels got 
better at once, and my recovery was rapid.' 

"A typhoid fever patient, who had been about 
three weeks sick, and though imploring, was al- 
lowed no diet but beef tea or milk punch, came 
under my care for a few days. I immediately or- 
dered a free use of peaches and grapes, and the 
diarrhea at once ceased, and at the end of five days? 
when I relinquished the care of her, she was con- 
valescent. My impression is, the disease runs a 
shorter and more favorable course under the free 
use of fruits than under the usual method of treat- 
ment, and I think the use of stimulants is rarely 
required when fruits are freely given. 



THE APPLE. 127 

"In the treatment of scarlet fever and diphtheria 
our summer fruits and many of the vegetables are 
most useful, and to the best may be added some, or, 
in fact, any foreign fruit. There is scarcely a dis- 
ease accompanied with fever but grapes and banan- 
as may be freely given to the patient. In the treat- 
ment of dysentery I would very much prefer ripe, 
sound fruits, peaches especially, to any medicine 
that can be suggested." 

THE APPLE. 

The apple is the prince of fruits, and can in our 
climate be preserved so as to continue during the 
entire year. My friend Joel Benton has permitted 
me to quote from his classic essay on this fruit • 

"As iron is rated among the metals, so the apple 
ranks among fruits. It is not the most luxurious 
or the most luscious for the moment, but it is the 
most durably valuable, the most practical. All 
languages make room for its name, and being al- 
ways planted near the house, it equals the dog in 
its notoriety for human companionship. As the 
word book is appropriated as the chief book of all, 
so apple sometimes stands for fruit in general. 
Scripture and geology, which have been supposed 
to differ about some things, agree as to its age, both 
placing its birth just a little before man's, as if it 
were said, ' Now the apple is born, it is time for 
man to be, who is destined to eat/ 

"Curiously enough, the apple has a very perti- 
nent relation to the brain, stimulating its life and its 
activity, which it does by its immense endowment 
of phosphorus, in which element it is said to be 
richer than anything else in the vegetable kingdom. 



128 FRUITS. 

But phosphorus is not only brain-supporting; it is 
light-bringing, and must thus contribute to knowl- 
edge. 

"The apple follows the belt of civilization, the 
zone of intellect, or else is followed by it. It is, at 
any rate, correlative, and we may well say : 
4 Where thou art is clime for me. 1 

" The celebrity of this fruit not only goes through 
the mythologies, but mention is made of it in the 
Old Testament in about ten places. Solomon says 
in his Song, ' As the apple tree among the trees of 
the wood, so is ray belcved among the sons. 5 And, 
in another place, ' Stay me with flagons, comfort me 
with apples/ 'A word fitly spoken/ says the pro- 
verb, ' is like apples of gold in pictures of silver/ 
Loki, who was the great thief and mischief maker 
among the Northern divinities, stole Iduna's apples, 
and the Grecian writers report a similar f reebooting 
of Mercury, which gives the schoolboy his eminent 
example. Mr. John Burroughs says, * The boy is 
indeed the true apple-eater, and is not to be ques- 
tioned how he came by the fruit with which his 
pockets are filled/ He will even eat with relish 
that puckery atrocity, the unripe green apple, the 
windfall of July, the very embodiment of vegetable 
total depravity. 

"We are told that in Arabia the apple 'is be- 
lieved to charm away disease, and produce health 
and prosperity. In some countries the custom re- 
mains of placing a rosy apple in the hand of the 
dead, that they may find it when they enter Para- 
dise/ 

"Mr. Thoreau says that 'apples made a part of 
the food of that unknown primitive people whose 



THE APPLE. 129 

traces have been found at the bottom of the Swiss 
lake, supposed to be older than the foundation of 
Rome ; so old that they had no metallic implements. 
Cowley makes his muse give thanks to him who 
restores or improves the apple : 

'He bids the ill-natured crab produce 
The gentle apple's loving juice, 
The golden fruit that worthy is 
Of Galatea's purple kiss.' 

" It may be safely said that, except the various 
kinds of grain, there is no product of the earth in 
this country which is so good for food as the apple. 
This noble fruit is no mere palate-pleaser ; it is very 
nutritious. Not only is it more nourishing than the 
potato, but it contains acids mild and gentle, as 
well as pleasing to the taste, which act in a benifi- 
cent manner upon the whole animal economy. An 
apple-eater is very rarely either dyspeptic or bilious/' 

" An English writer says : ' It will beggar a doc- 
tor to live where orchards thrive.' Mr. Burroughs 
offers statistics showing that certain operatives in 
Cornwall, England, in a time of scarcity found 
apples in some manner a substitute for meat. They 
could work on baked apples without meat, when a 
potato diet was not sufficient. To its healthfulness 
he bears witness : ' Especially to those whose soil 
of life is inclined to be a little clayey and heavy is 
the apple a winter necessity. It is the natural anti- 
dote to most of the ills the flesh is heir to. Full of 
vegetable acids and aromatic qualities which act as 
refrigerants and antiseptics, what an enemy it is 
to jaundice, indigestion, torpidity of liver, etc. ! It 
is a gentle spur and tonic to the whole biliary 
system. 

6* 



130 FRUITS. 

" The individual fruit in his hands he describes 
ecstatically : ' How pleasing to the touch ! I love to 
stroke its polished roundure with my hand,. to carry 
it in my pocket in my tramp over the winter hills, 
or through the early spring woods. You are com. 
pany, you red-cheeked spitz, or you salmon-fleshed 
greening ! I toy with you, press your face to mine, 
toss you in the air, roll you on the ground, see you 
shine out where you lie amid the moss, the dry 
leaves and sticks. You are so alive ! You glow like 
a ruddy flower ! You look so animated, I almost 
expect to see you move ! I postpone the eating of 
you, you are so beautiful ! How compact ! How 
exquisitely tinted ! Stained by the sun, and var- 
nished against the rains! An independent vege- 
table existence, alive and vascular as my own flesh, 
capable of being wounded, bleeding, wasting away, 
or almost repairing damages ! ' 

"Mr. Alcott, whom Carlyle could never pardon 
for his vegetarianism, was an equal eulogist of this 
fruit. He says : ' Apples are general favorites. 
Every eye covets, every hand reaches to them. It 
is a noble fruit ; the friend of immortality, its vir- 
tues blush to be tasted. Every muse delights in it, 
as its mythology shows, from the gardens of the 
Hesperides to the orchard of Plato. A basket of 
pearmains, golden russets, or any of the choice 
kinds, standing in sight, shall perfume the scholar's 
composition as it refreshes his genius/ 

" For a filip to the best social feeling and the wit- 
tiest conversation we wait till the apples appear. 
How well they brighten up the dull winter evening 
when they go round ! Whittier, in speaking of old 
times in the country, says : 



THE APPLE. 131 

* And for the winter fireside meet, 
Between the andiron's straggling feet, 
The mug of cider simmered slow, 
The apples sputtered in a row, 
And close at hand the basket stood, 
With nuts from brown October's wood.' 

" Strangely stimulating is this fruit! The activ- 
ity it gives to the blood is fairly contagious. I sus- 
pect a good many of the shrewd sayings of our wise 
forefathers, which survive orally in every neighbor- 
hood, owe their spur and sparkle to the juicy apple. 
I have a young lady friend who always beats at a 
favorite game after the apples appear, though be- 
fore they arrive I am occasionally the victor. 

"Mr. Thoreau is fantastic enough to think that 
the man who deals with apples should be of a solid 
and robust quality, for he says, ' When I see a par- 
ticularly mean man carrying them to market, I 
seem to see a contest going on between him and his 
horses on one side, and the apples on the other, 
and, to my mind, the apples always gain it.' 

''There are some apple-eaters — men more partic- 
ularly — who can apparently eat just as many apples 
after a meal as if no meal had been served. I recall 
a laboring man, who ate six large ones after a 
hearty dinner, and went his way as if nothing nota- 
ble had happened. This was twenty-five years ago, 
and he still lives, and is destined to live, perhaps, 
as long as will the tree that bore them. They were 
eaten raw, as the epicure of this fruit tells you they 
always should be, and the second orthodox rule is 
to 'dispense with the knife.' Any one, however, 
who is not anxious to have them as good as they 
can be, will do the next best thing in following this 
recipe, which I will venture to vouch for : Buy a 



132 FRUITS. 

small tin apple-corer ; core with it as many apples 
as you want, without peeling them; set them on a 
porcelain dish ; place this in a hot oven, having 
first filled up the vacancies left by your surgery 
with the best of sugar. Let them bake till they are 
well done. Take them out, and if you do not know 
what to do next, call in your nearest and best friend 
for further advice." 

It would be useless to try to give chemical analy- 
ses of the average composition of apples, they vary 
so. They contain from 81 to 85 per cent, of water ; 
from 6 to 10 per cent., or more, of sugar; from J of 
1 per cent to 1 per cent, of free acid ; from 3 to 8 
percent, of albuminous substances, and less than 
h of 1 per cent, of salts. 

This noble fruit may be served in a great variety 
of ways, or, best of all, may be eaten raw. For the 
latter way the finest, juiciest, most appetizing ones 
should be chosen — those which have a spicy taste 
and refresh almost from the moment they enter the 
mouth. As a part of the breakfast, delicious apples 
often put one in good humor for the entire day. 
At least for this meal they might, with brown bread 
and perhaps a glass of milk or a cup of chocolate, 
for moderate workers form almost the entire meal. 

In cooking apples, it should be borne in mind that 
heat often brings out of poor fruit fine qualities ; so 
that varieties not suitable for eating uncooked fre- 
quently make the best pies and sauce. 

GRAPES, 

I rank grapes next to apples in value and in 
healthfulness. Originally cultivated between the 
20th and 40th degrees of north latitude, and only 



GRAPES. 133 

then successfully where soil and climate were most 
favorable, they are to-day, through a better agri- 
culture, grown much more extensively and farther 
north and south. As an article of food the grape 
has always been highly prized, and its unferment- 
ed juice makes a nourishing drink. The ancient 
Greeks and Romans boiled the grape juice to one- 
half or one-third its bulk and drank it. In Ger- 
many, Italy and France to-day, during the vintage 
much grape juice is drunk, and in many places the 
juice is boiled to a syrup and used in various food 
preparations. 

The constituents of the grape vary with the vari- 
ety, the soil, the climate and state of the weather. 

1. — An important part of the grape is its sugar, 
which may be as high as 30 per cent, or as low as 
10 per cent. The warmer and drier the weather at 
the time of ripening the more sugar in the grape, 
and the less acid it is found to contain. 

2. — No grape is entirely devoid of the acid called 
vinous acid, similar to the malic acid of the apple. 

3. — There is a small quantity of albuminous mat- 
ter in the grape, similar to the albumen in the 
blood, also some gum and dextrine. 

4. — The mineral constituents are, tartrates of pot- 
ash, soda, phosphoric acid, lime, magnesia and iron, 
with a few other unimportant minerals. 

4. — The coloring matter is slight; but some grapes 
contain considerable tannin and fatty oils. 

6. — From 70 to 80 per cent, of the grape is water. 

THE NUTRITIVE VALUE OF THE GRAPE. 

Grapes are nourishing, but their nourishing prop- 
erties are not the same as those of bread and meat, 



134 FRUITS. 

for they contain only a small proportion of the pro- 
tein which is required daily. For instance, it would 
take over one pound of grapes to give as much 
albumen as is found in a single egg. But as protein 
is so abundant in our grains we do not need it in 
our fruits, and this is a wise provision of Nature. 
In non-nitrogenous substances, in acids, in mineral 
matter, in pure water and refreshing qualities con- 
sists the great value of the grape. 

THEIR PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS. 

The physiological effects of the grape are signifi- 
cant. Eaten with other suitable food, and es- 
pecially with bread in quantities of from one to two 
pounds daily they increase nutrition, promote secre- 
tion and excretion, improve the action of the liver, 
kidneys and bowels, and add to the health. The 
sugar of the grape requires no digestion, but is 
taken almost at once into the blood, where it ren- 
ders up its force as is required; so, also, of the water. 

The dextrine of the grape promotes the secretion 
of pepsine, and this favors digestion. Sometimes 
when grapes are taken too freely the heart may be 
excited by the potash salts, but this need not occur. 
The phosphoric acid, of which there is considerable, 
acts most favorable on all the bodily functions, and 
especially on the brain. Grapes richest in phos- 
phoric acid are best. Preuss found wine rich in 
phosphoric acid most favorable to the recovery of 
children ill with many diseases, and in order to dis- 
cover if these effects were in any respects due to the 
alcohol, he removed it by evaporation and found 
the results quite as striking . He also showed that 
the tartrates of potash in the wine rendered the 



GRAPES. 135 

blood more alkaline, which he deemed to be a bene- 
fit in some diseases. Grapes have been found ex- 
cellent in cases of diarrhea, a result possibly due to 
the tannin, but it cannot be entirely owing to this 
substance. 

THE GRAPE CURE. 

Grapes, say several authorities, act very much 
like mineral waters on the system ; but they must 
be more beneficial than mineral water because they 
nourish, and their effect on the nerves is greater 
through their more agreeable taste. Eaten moder- 
ately with a suitable diet they will not produce 
cathartic effects, but a more natural action of the 
bowels, so important to health, or if eaten in larger 
quantities, they are gently laxative. As soon as 
this occurs obstructions disappear, and a feeling 
of comfort arises which is very gratifying to the 
sufferer. 

"At present," says Dr. Knauthe, "the grape is 
used in diseases of the most varied character, most- 
ly, indeed, upon the ground of present experience, 
as also upon that of its ancient reputation. It is 
chiefly celebrated and effective in the treatment of 
affections of the digestive organs, namely, catarrh 
of the stomach, with or without intestinal catarrh, 
heart affections and dyspepsia, which without pain 
are accompanied by a feeling of pressure and ful- 
ness, and which are followed as a consequence bj r 
loss of appetite, sluggish movements of the bowels, 
sour eructations and heartburn, in habitual costive- 
ness; also in affections resulting from alcoholism. 
It is successful in all diseases where a cleansing of 
the intestinal canal is requisite, as in hemmor- 



136 FRUITS. 

rhoids or the so-called abdominal plethora, in con- 
gestion of the brain, in the most varied affections 
of the liver which cause an enlargement of this 
organ, in chronic jaundice, in pleuritic exudations, 
suppressed menstruation. And further, the grape 
cure acts favorable in chronic bronchial catarrh, 
scrofula, lung complaints, asthma, enlargement of 
the spleen, intermittent fever, cachexie, chronic 
affections of the urinary system, with their various 
consequences, in chlorosis, (on account of the iron 
of the grape). Curchard and Huber observed im- 
provement in chronic diarrhea. Tscharner regarded 
the grape cure as effectual in diarrhea originating 
from nervous excitement of the intestines, as also 
in nervous coughing. Schirmer observed favorable 
effects in chronic catarrh of the areolar tissue, and 
Schulze and Curchod recommended the grape cure 
in affections of the skin, as freckles and scurvy, 
while Liebenstein affirms that he has cured the itch 
by its use. It is recommended also in gravel, dia- 
betes and Bright's disease of the ki&neys. Its ac- 
tion is especially favorable for the corpulent, for 
the gluttonous and high livers. 

"The more or less favorable results in these com- 
plaints are to be attributed to the important fact of 
the cleansing action of the grape, and there can be 
no doubt that this treatment, on account of its easy 
application, is to be preferred to other methods of 
cleansing, especially since it is in the power of the 
physician to give prominence to the nourishing, or 
rather to the not weakening, side of the treatment, 
and thus to adapt it to the constitutional require- 
ments of the patient. 

"Great virtue has been ascribed to the grape cure 



THE GRAPE. 13? 

in cases of tuberculosis and consumption of the 
lungs, and the different grape cure physicians have 
each peculiar views concerning it, and make great 
and small distinctions concerning its efficiency in 
different complaints, each according to his own 
experience and according to the standpoint from 
which each regards the question of tuberculosis, 
etc. One will apply the grape cure only in chronic 
pneumonia and phthisis where the intestinal canal 
is healthy; another will find it indicated only in 
certain periods of phthisis ; still others think it in- 
dicated only in phthisical tendencies, but especially 
says Weber: "The grape cure is most suitable for 
persons who are not reduced in flesh, and who suf- 
fer from no irritating conditions of the vascular 
system. Sweet grapes rarely cause diarrhea. When 
tuberculous persons are very lean, poor in blood 
and feverish, the grape cure is not suitable, though 
they may use grapes as part of their diet. For such 
patients foods rich in albumen are to be preferred. 
The treatment which is understood by the term 
grape cure, that is the eating of five to eight pounds 
of grapes in the course of each day, whereby an 
irritation of the intestinal canal and a softer or 
thinner stool is caused, is in chronic tuberculosis 
and phthisis under all circumstances injurious, as 
is shown by the physiological and anatomical con- 
ditions in tuberculosis and phthisis. The first and 
most important task in this disease consists in the 
avoidance of violent action upon the body and in 
securing to it the necessary fresh air and rest. All 
permanently exciting action upon the intestinal 
canal, even when it is healthy, is especially ir- 
rational, as is plain when we consider the liability 



133 FRUITS. 

of such patients to follicular inflammation of the 
mucous membrane of the intestines, and that this 
may be induced at any iime by very slight causes, 
and when caused that the tendency to accumulate 
caseous products in the system may have the most 
dangerous consequences. A good digestion and a 
sound stomach and intestines are in consumption 
of the lungs the most important factors in securing 
a tolerable existence. 

"A regular use of from one to two pounds of 
grapes daily, together with a nutritious diet, is very 
beneficial to a healthy stomach and intestines, since 
here the fat-building, nourishing effects of the grape 
are manifest ; but, strange to say, this form of grape 
eating is not reckoned as a grape cure by those who 
insist that there should be some certain number of 
evacuations daily ; and yet there is no doubt that 
this method of grape eating may properly be called 
a grape cure, that is, for example, when during five 
or six weeks there are eaten daily from one to two, 
or even three pounds of grapes. Their favorable 
action is certain if accompanied by regular exercise 
and a suitable diet. 

''Paul Niemeyer ("Atmiatrie p. 174) utters the 
truth when he says, "Modern society possesses too 
little power of abstraction to pursue a mere course 
of breathing gymnastics with daily renewed zeal. 
Devotion comes first when the effort is a means to 
an end, namely, to the consumption and digestion 
of whey, grapes, vegetable juices, and the like. 

METHODS OF THE GRAPE CURE. 

"By the grape cure is understood the daily, and 
for weeks, continued eating of grapes, with the 



THE GRAPE. 139 

observance, at the same time, of a prescribed diet. 
Some are disposed to regard that only as grape cure 
in which at least three pounds are eaten daily, but 
upon what ground is not plain. The action of the 
grapes upon the system is controlled by the kind of 
diet and by the quantity of grapes eaten as deter- 
mined by the symptoms in each case and by the 
constitution of the patient. In accordance with 
this, the prescribed diet is either liberal or restrict- 
ed. Usually the amount of grapes eaten varies be- 
tween three and eight pounds daily. 

"In eating the grapes, the following conditions 
must be observed : The fruit should be completely 
ripe, and should be washed before being eaten in 
order that impurities and insects may not be taken 
with them. The grapes must be fresh from the 
vine, or, as some prefer, may first lie a few hours 
in order to avoid the injurious effects of their cold- 
ness, which, with sensitive persons, causes a dis- 
agreeable sensation in the mouth and in the teeth, 
and also injures the stomach and intestines, and 
may produce violent diarrhea. Eating fresh from 
the vine in the vineyard itself is, therefore, only 
exceptionally to be permitted during the heat of the 
day. The grapes should not be bitten with the teeth, 
but pressed with the tongue against the roof of the 
mouth, by which the blunting of the teeth is les- 
sened. The skins and seeds should not be swal- 
lowed. The cure is begun by eating a small quantity 
of grapes, usually one to two pounds each day, in- 
creased by half a pound daily until the desired quan- 
tity is reached. The cure should not be suddenly 
interrupted, but the quantity eaten gradually dimin- 
ished daily. To those who have an aversion to 



140 FRUITS. 

grapes on account of the disagreeable feeling which 
they cause in the teeth and in the mucous mem- 
brane of the mouth I would give the freshly-pressed 
juice. There are small presses for this purpose 
which the patient himself may use to express the 
juice for each day's consumption. The objection 
sometimes made to this expressed juice, namely, 
that it may ferment before being drank and thus 
cause much injury is not valid, since the time that 
intervenes between the pressing and drinking is 
not sufficient to admit of any change in the must. 
The fermentation may be wholly prevented for a 
length of time by closing up the juice securely in 
bottles. A hermetical sealing of the bottles can- 
not, however, prevent fermentation, since the cause 
of fermentation, the germs, enter during the 
preparation, and cannot be excluded by the subse- 
quent sealing. The juice enclosed in bottles may 
indeed keep longer than that exposed to the air, but 
certainly not for any great length of time. Accord- 
ing to Neubauer the juice keeps for years good and 
pure when well filtered, put into bottles well closed 
up, and then the germs made incapable of develop- 
ment by heating the filled bottles one quarter of an 
hour in a kettle of boiling water. He also says 
that he has kept it thus treated in his cellar for a 
length of time, that it may be distinguished in 
appearance and flavor from that which is fresh, 
and that it may be used for the purposes of the 
grape cure at any season of the year. 

" Juice not containing sufficient sugar was pre- 
served by the ancients. It was conducted from the 
press into a cistern and then filled into an amphora 
(a kind of jug holding several gallons), and in these 



GRAPES. 141 

vessels sunk in a pond of water until winter. The 
juice by this time lost all tendency to fermentation, 
so that it remained fresh a whole year or longer. 
This was regarded as intermediate between syrup 
and wine, and by the Greeks was called everlasting 
must. 

" We return now to the subject of the cure. The 
grapes to be eaten each day are divided into three 
portions. Exercise in the open air is necessary dur- 
ing the act of eating. The first portion is eaten be- 
fore breakfast, fasting, between seven and eight 
o'clock, though patients who cannot bear this may 
first eat their usual breakfast and an hour afterward 
take the first portion of grapes. It may also in some 
cases be necessary to allow no grapes at this time, 
or to allow some bread crustto be eaten with them. 
When the grapes are eaten fasting the breakfast 
may be eaten an hour later, and should, of course, 
be light. It may consist of bread, tea, thin choco- 
late or light soup. The second portion of grapes is 
taken in the forenoon, at least an hour before din- 
ner; the third portion in the afternoon, between 
three and five o'clock, but always from one to two 
hours after dinner. Some physicians allow a fourth 
portion after supper (Schulze)." ; 

The season of the cure falls within that of the 
ripening of the grapes, which varies according 
to the location of the grape cure, as southerly or 
northerly, and between the middle of August and 
the middle of October. 

The grape cure should be interrupted during men- 
struation and in cases of hemmorhoidal bleeding, 
and it is also inadmissable during pregnancy and 
nursing. 



142 FRUITS. 

With regard to the diet, the following articles are 
prohibited, viz. : all heavy foods, foods cooked in 
fat or butter, all foods causing flatulence, potatoes, 
roots, kohl-rabi, etc. ; heavy black bread, milk, 
beer, fat, heavy fish, pickled flesh, heavy farina- 
ceous foods, hard eggs and cheese. Permitted are 
bread, butter, milk, thin chocolate, and fruits in 
limited quantities. The protection of the teeth re- 
quires their being cleansed daily with some powder 
which will neutralize fruit acids, as prepared chalk. 

Stomatitis and other unfavorable conditions, as 
vomiting, diarrhea and colic are treated with the 
usual remedies. Constipation occurring in the be- 
ginning of the cure is relieved by a glass of bitter 
water, or by eating a few figs. 

CHOICE OF GRAPES. 

We have here to do especially with those best for 
eating. Regarding these the following are the chief 
requirements : 1. That the berry should not be too 
small ; 2. That the skins should be thin ; 3. That 
the seeds should be thin and small; 4. That they 
should possess a sweet and agreeably aromatic 
taste ; 5. That the juice should not be too watery, 
but should have a good body, and the berry should 
be somewhat fleshy ; 6. That they should have a 
certain consistency or hardness. According to the 
number and degree of these qualities table grapes 
are classified as very fine and tolerably good. 

It is in European countries that the grape cure 
has been most thoroughly studied and highly de- 
veloped ; but there is no reason why it should not be 
made popular in our own country. We have a de- 
lightful autumn climate, excellent grapes, though 



PEARS, PEACHES, ETC. 143 

differing from the European ones, and many favor- 
ing conditions. In a small way it has been tried by 
individuals here with gratifying results. 

OTHER FRUITS. 

Having given so much space to apples and grapes 
1 must pass on with only a brief mention of other 
fruits, of which there are a great variety. The pear 
might be named for its fine qualities and the con- 
siderable amount of iron it contains. The peach 
when at its best, and fresh and alive from the tree 
has no equal for deliciousness, and is always a 
favorite with invalids. A few days spent in the 
peach orchards of Delaware, eating fruit and help- 
ing do some of the light work, have benefited many 
invalids. The cherry, with its fine acids is almost a 
cure for diseases of the bladder and kidneys ; the 
blackberry, which, when stewed with sugar, fur- 
nishes a drink most valuable in diarrhea ; the straw- 
berry, a great luxury if sweet and fresh, a fruit 
that cured Wilson, the ornithologist, of a chronic 
malarial fever after the doctors had failed ; the 
lemon, so full of citric acid as to form the basis of 
the finest drink in the world ; the orange, a tonic 
and a medicine that rarely disagrees, the juice of 
half a dozen of them before breakfast or at almost 
any time will, by its delightful flavor and useful 
salts, often turn a day of gloom into one of joy. 
No wine can at all compare with its stimulating but 
not intoxicating qualities. A friend who owns an 
orange grove tells me he eats of them ad libitum 
during the season, and that they make a new man 
of him. Then there is the banana the bread of the 
natives of many countries, the plum, the fig, the 



144 FRUITS. 

olive and many others I might mention, but it is 
unnecessary. 

NUT8. 

I had intended to give a chapter on nuts as foods, 
but want of space forbids. They abound in nour- 
ishment, but vary greatly in the amount of differ- 
ent substances. Several are rich in oil, which 
might properly be substituted for other oils. Chil- 
dren usually object to fat meat, but will take nuts 
instead. Some nuts contain considerable nitroge. 
nous matter, as the walnut; others are rich in 
starch, as the chestnut. The table of analysis will 
show the composition of most of them. 

By many, nuts are thought difficult of digestion, 
and this is, no doubt, because they contain so much 
cellulose or woody matter; but if properly masti- 
cated, and the outside skin removed, there need 
be no trouble from this source. Nuts contain little 
water, and hence if eaten in considerable quantities 
their digestion is facilitated by lemonade or some 
acid drink. Those who do not eat much fat meat or 
butter generally manage nuts with little difficulty. 



CHAPTER XL 

FOOD FOR DIFFERENT AGES, CONDITIONS AND 

SEASONS. 

No absolute rule can be laid down as to diet for 
every condition because people differ so much in 
their constitutions and needs ; but some suggestions 
based on general laws will be found useful. 

DIET IN INFANCY. 

It hardly needs to be said that nothing can equal 
the mother's milk for the child for the first six 
months or year of its existence. As it is drawn di- 
rectly from the mother's breast it is alive, and in 
this living condition it must be better adapted to 
nourish the infant than any other food. If the 
mother's health is not good, or if her milk is 
not abundant, both can often be improved and in- 
creased by wise feeding. She should spare no effort to 
this end. She may herself drink as much pure milk 
as she can digest, or, what is quite as good, use 
freely thin gruels made from oatmeal, corn meal, 
barley and other grains, preparing them so as to be 
agreeable to the palate, and changing from one to 
the other so they shall not cloy the appetite. When 
the teeth come, and saliva begins to be secreted, 
then the mother may commence feeding the child 
other things ; but still milk should form the staple 

(145) 



146 FOOD FOR DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. 

article of diet up to the second or third year. In 
another place will be found directions for making 
oatmeal cream for the young child — a preparation 
which may be given to it, when it is three or four 
months old, as a partial substitute for the mother's 
milk if this be not sufficient. This preparation has 
proved exceedingly useful in many cases. A large 
number of substitutes for milk have been invented 
from farinaceous foods, many of them of very high 
excellence, and when necessary they may be used 
if more convenient. If cows' milk be used, that 
from a perfectly healthy cow should be procured. 
Goat's milk would be preferable if it could be had. 
Goats well fed and cared for are generally very 
healthy, and their milk better adapted to the grow- 
ing child than that from the cow. 

DIET IN CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 

The diet in childhood and youth should be wise 
and judicious, for this is the period of growth and the 
formation of habits which will continue, perhaps, 
through life. Indigestible foods should be avoided. 
Underfeeding and improper feeding may stunt the 
growth of the body permanently during this age, 
and over-feeding, especially if stimulating foods be 
given, may render its growth excessive but un- 
natural. There should be an abundance of good 
breads of all sorts and rightly made, milk and fruit, 
and such vegetables as are suitable, farinaceous 
articles of every sort, including oatmeal, wheaten 
preparations, rice, sugar in suitable quantities and 
eggs to a moderate extent. The drink should be 
pure water or milk, and if any other drink is added 






DIET FOR THE BRAIN-WORKER. 14:7 

it should be cocoa instead of tea or coffee. The latter 
have no nourishment, and act too strongly on the 
sensitive nervous system of the child, laying the 
foundation of future nervous disorders. Pies, cakes 
and puddings are all allowable on condition that 
they be plainly made, otherwise not. Many of the 
disorders of youth arise from imperfectly pre- 
pared food. 

DIET FOR WORKING MEN, 

The diet for working men has been so fully dis- 
cussed elsewhere that it is not necessary to enlarge 
or repeat here. 

DIET FOR THE BFAIN-WORKER. 

This need not differ from that of the well-fed 
working man, except in this, that his powers of di- 
gestion are somewhat less, and, consequently, he 
needs food rather more easy of digestion. If the 
brain-worker, however, would keep up his physical 
powers by taking abundance of exercise and air he 
would not suffer in this respect. For perfect work 
the brain should be well nourished, and each one 
will study the subject from the standpoint of experi- 
ence and knowledge and act accordingly. 

The theory has been advanced that brain-workers 
need more phosphorus than any other class of men, 
but there is no evidence as yet to justify this con- 
clusion. "Without phosphorus no thought/' says 
one of our German scientists. He could with equal 
truthfulness have said, without water no thought ; 
without air no thought; without many other things, 
no thought. So far as is known, the lion, the tiger, 



148 FOOD FOE DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. 

the dog and cat consume and excrete as much phos- 
phorus as man, while the beaver, a most thoughtful 
animal, excretes, so far as has been ascertained, 
none. Man, however, requires phosphorus, and it is 
abundantly supplied in a well-selected diet. 

DIET IN OLD AGE. 

The old and infirm should live more like young 
children than adults. Milk, fruits, and especially 
their juices, and breads constitute the bases of a 
good diet for the aged. They need less than the 
young or those doing heavy work ; they should be- 
ware of indigestible foods or of excess. Even after 
fifty years of age there should, in most cases, be a 
gradual lessening of the amount of food consumed. 
Excessive eating in old age keeps up too great a 
pressure on the enfeebled heart and weakened ves- 
sels and renders them liable to break, causing apo- 
plexy, with its accompanying evils. It has been 
suggested that life may be prolonged many years 
by avoiding foods rich in mineral matter, and by 
the employment of acid drinks, especially lemonade, 
to dissolve and cleanse the blood and tissues of their 
broken-down debris. One old man whom I well 
knew always kept a plate of grapes on his center- 
table, and occasionally ate a few of them as he 
felt thirsty. The juice furnished a pure, slightly 
nourishing fluid, and he thought he was benefited 
thereby. He certainly lived to be nearly one hun- 
dred years old, and enjoyed for one of that age most 
remarkable health. Not every one can have fine 
grapes at all seasons, but all can have some kind of 
fruit-juice drink equally good. 



DIET - FOR TRAINING. 140 

The bread of the old should usually be made from 
unbolted flour, and hot bread and biscuits never 
used. This kind of bread keeps the bowels open 
without the use of purgatives, which is very im- 
portant. The frequent use of purgatives is one of 
the habits of our time that cannot be too vigorously 
condemned, especially when better effects can be 
secured by dietetic measures. 

DIET FOR TRAINING. 

Trainers of men for boat racing or other athletic 
sports give more thought to the diet of men under 
their care than those at the head of our institutions 
of learning do to pupils seeking an education. Why 
is this ? It is because they wish to get the most 
that is possible out of their bodies, to render them 
capable of working for all they are worth. If to 
compete in mere physical sports and contests it is 
worth while to take such care to preserve the 
health and choose the diet of able-bodied young 
men, how much more ought all to do it in order to 
fit themselves for the labor and struggle of daily 
life; how many thousands upon thousands fail and 
drop out of the race because they do not do this. 

Some years ago I investigated the question of the 
diet of the students of Yale College, and found in a 
majority of cases it was exceedingly imperfect. No 
attention was given to the matter by a majority of 
them. They lived in boarding-houses and in other 
ways, and took what they could get. While they 
did not starve, yet compared with a young man 
training for a boat race their bill of fare was quite 
defective. Suppose at all college and university 



150 FOOD FOR DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. 

towns the president and professors, or some one 
quite competent, were to arrange a practical, scien- 
tific diet and educate the caterers up to feeding the 
pupils as perfectly as present knowledge on this 
subject will permit, would not our progress be more 
rapid ? I am sure the expense would be no greater. 

A great change has taken place in the rules of diet 
for men undergoing training within late years. Com- 
paring what we now have with what was once 
thought essential, and, indeed, indispensable, we see 
that the improved views which actual trials have 
brought to trainers are in the direction of a greater 
naturalness. For instance, beef, in large amounts, 
and almost raw, called " red rags," was formerly the 
diet at all nreals, and scarcely anything else, and 
was dreaded by the men undergoing training more 
than any other feature in their preparatory work, 
even than the contest itself, pugilistic or athletic. 
Perhaps this was the source of a view, wide-spread 
still through many strata of society, that one must 
eat meat to "give him strength/' and that the more 
one eats the more strength it would be sure to give 
him. The following points were obtained from a 
man who was in his younger years a pugilist, and 
afterward for many years a professional trainer. 
All are arrived at by the closest sort of trial, and 
that by men without a theory as such, book-learn- 
ing, or any sort of medical knowledge. I repeat 
them in the same axiomatic way in which these men 
speak their knowledge, whose authority is solely 
that "they have tried it, and it is so." 

" No one should eat meat at breakfast while in 
training. A small piece of fish will do ; half a 
baked potato, well-cooked oatmeal, mush and milk, 



DIET IN TRAINING. 151 

and fruit ; neither coffee nor tea. Breakfast must 
always be a comparatively light meal. One is to rise 
from table, always, with a not fully satisfied appe- 
tite. Over-eating in the morning, and then going 
an unusual time without food, is bad. The break- 
fast must be light, and food follows work, not pre- 
cedes it, in amount at least. If a man has over- 
eaten, he had best eat again at the accustomed 
times, only very sparingly. Meanwhile, until his 
body is free of the surplus food he is carrying, let 
him go out of doors and stay, and keep up a fair 
amount of motion, walking leisurely about the 
fields, and drinking hot water when so inclined. He 
can then go on in his training the following day. 
No gain can be made while the stomach or blood is 
overloaded. Supper must also be a light meal, with- 
out cake or sweetmeats. Tea is allowable at supper, 
if made very weak. That, with a very little cold 
meat, a piece of toast, and cooked fruit, are enough. 
Sugar beyond moderate amounts is a direct detractor 
from strength ; a pure state of the constitution can- 
not be attained while it is indulged in freely. 
Meat must be cooked done, but only in certain ways, 
so as to be still juicy and red in color. Rare roast, 
or broiled in thick slices, is best. It is to be eaten 
with the second meal of the day, for then the body 
is best able to digest and dispose of it ; that is, after 
vigorous, protracted exercise, and before any con- 
siderable degree of fatigue is felt. 

"Bread must be coarse. Trainers commonly cook 
bread for their men themselves, using of good wheat 
meal two-thirds, fresh corn meal one-third, and add- 
ing English currants. It is to be thoroughly chewed, 
and not eaten in excess. It is a good thing to drink 



152 FOOD FOR DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. 

freely of hot water an hour before breakfast, and 
then to take a walk. It should be sipped slowly, 
spending twenty-five minutes on a couple of tum- 
blersful. 

"When it is necessary to empty the bowels at the 
beginning of a course of training, barley, boiled in 
water a short time till softened, and eaten or swal- 
lowed in some quantity, will give the bowels some- 
thing to handle which will not compact into lumps, 
and which will sweep out mucus that may be pres- 
ent, but without causing the least irritation. 

"A shower bath is the best of all morning tonics. 
Very vigorous rubbing should immediately succeed 
— first with towels, then with the palms of the 
hands — till the flesh is perfectly soft and pink. The 
strokes of both towels and hands should be down- 
ward. Rubbing the flesh under a spray of cold 
water will give it firmness and insensibility to blows 
more rapidly than any of the astringent lotions some- 
times used. 

"No alcohol, no beer, and especially no tobacco, 
are allowable. These are absolutely laid aside when 
training begins ; the same with coffee. When a man 
is brought to a 'pure' condition, his urine has no 
odor, and is very light colored and clear. The sweat 
has a fragrant smell, ' something like cologne/ If 
a glass of ale or spirits be taken surreptitiously, a 
trainer will know of it on the following day from 
finding that his man is not as quick and true in his 
"movements as he should be, his eye is not quite 
right or accurate, and when he strips his shirt off to 
be rubbed, after his morning's work, the odor is 
'not like cologne, but bad.' An astonishing amount 
of bruise, so long as the skin is not broken, will be 



DIEJT IN TRAINING. 153 

absorbed and become invisible when a man is really 
in "pure" condition. Illustrations were given by 
my informant from incidents in the professional 
career of Paddy Ryan and other pugilists. This ab- 
sorption of a black and blue spot will take place 
very rapidly ; perhaps twenty-four hours or a night's 
sleep will remove all signs.of recent contusions. 

"The development and the physical habits of a 
young man are formed before the age of twenty-five 
years is reached, as they can scarcely be after that 
age ; that is, the best chance to get a well-balanced 
constitution comes between the ages of eighteen and 
twenty-five years. 

"A man who has followed a trade, as a plasterer or 
an iron-worker — an active and care-taking trade, 
where all the muscles of the body are brought into 
play, instead of a single group — that man, if he go 
into training, will be a far better man to obey orders 
and regulations than a man who has had to use in 
his business only a few of his muscles. An over- 
head plasterer, who bends backward as much as for- 
ward, and pushes as well as lifts, is a good example. 
Moreover, flexors and extensors should be of equal 
development for another reason. If the flexor is the 
stronger, it acts as a strong elastic might, being not 
entirely under the control of the will, while the 
weaker opposed extensor is more or less of a lost 
power. Make the latter as large and strong as its 
opposed muscle, and the man's movements will at 
once become lighter and truer. 

"Of my eight children, four that were raised 
while I was at home with them, and could enforce 
their having an oatmeal-and-milk breakfast and a 
light supper, grew up strong, and are alive now; 



15-i FOOD FOR DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. 

the other four had much their own waj^ about 
food, with only their mother at home, and they all 
died about the time they reached puberty." 

No efforts, so far as I know, have been made to 
arrange a fleshless diet for men under training; 
and so long as the general feeling of the necessity 
of flesh for athletes continues it will be useless, 
but that less and less is being used is evidence of 
a tendency this way. In England, not long ago, 
a trial was made between a trained bicycle rider 
and an amateur, the former living on a mixed diet 
and the latter on a fleshless one, of a fifty mile race, 
and there was practically no difference in the time 
they made. A few more such tests would call atten- 
tion to the subject sufficiently to make a thorough 
trial practicable. That it would demonstrate that 
man's strength can be maintained without the use 
of flesh I have no doubt. There was a time when 
it was believed that alcoholic drinks were necessary 
to maintain strength. That day has gone forever. 
I think we may predict the same result concerning 
the need of a flesh diet to maintain physical 
strength. There are too many examples of vege- 
tarian endurance and great working power to make 
any other result possible. 



CHAPTER XII. 
FOOD IN VARIOUS DISEASES. 
IN DYSPEPSIA. 

There are so many forms of dyspepsia that it would 
be quite impossible to designate, without a knowl- 
edge of each case, the foods most suitable; but 
most sufferers from this disease may be cured by 
first avoiding its causes, to wit : rapid eating with- 
out thorough mastication, and excessive work with 
muscles and brain. 

In most cases the sufferer may take more or less 
of the following articles, omitting any found to 
disagree : 

Thin vegetable soups, properly made, raw oysters 
and clams ; poached or soft boiled eggs ; 

Good brown bread and gems, made light, corn 
bread, boiled rice, rice cakes, stale bread and butter, 
macaroni, sago, tapioca, Graham crackers, oatmeal 
and barley gruel ; 

Green vegetables, such as turnip tops, spinach, 
cresses, salads, celery, sorrel, lettuce, string beans 
in moderation, dandelion, asparagus, oranges, ripe 
peaches and pears, roasted apples, thoroughly cooked 
dried fruits and grapes freely. 

Hot water abudantly, an hour before meals and 
soon after in small quantities, koumiss, buttermilk, 
milk and lime water, lemonade, milk and Vichy 

(155) 



156 FOOD IN VARIOUS DISEASES. 

water are generally useful. Hot water stimulates 
the stomach, and has cured many dyspeptics. 

In most cases, however, a simple diet made of 
brown bread, fruit and milk as a staple, and such 
other articles as will give variety and change 
are best. The dyspeptic should be cheerful at his 
meals; tell stories and hear them; eat leisurely and 
masticate his food thoroughly ; after it is in his 
stomach he should forget that he has eaten, and 
never think of it again, if he can help it. He had 
better avoid rich soups, all fried foods, veal, pork, 
hashes, stews, turkey, all rich gravies, made dishes, 
sauces, desserts, rich pies, pastries, puddings ; crude, 
coarse vegetables ; wines, malt liquors and cordials. 

In acid dyspepsia, a most frequent and persistent 
form of the disease, the peptic glands secrete a far 
too acid gastric juice. The general opinion that 
this acid is the result of the souring of the food is, 
in my opinion, erroneous. The sour eructations ap- 
pear too soon after eating to admit of such a source. 
The usual remedy, viz. : bicarbonate of soda, 
while it gives temporary relief, never cures the 
patient ; and if its use be continued for a long 
time the effects on the constitution are positively 
bad. In the first place, the blood is rendered more 
alkaline than is normal, and this too alkaline blood 
circulating along the track of the vessels for 
a long time tends to weaken them. Instead, 
therefore, of using an alkali, the true remedy is to 
masticate the food for a long time, so as to mix with 
it a large amount of saliva, which is alkaline in its 
nature and helps to neutralize the excessive acid of 
the gastric juice. Being a natural remedy it does 
not produce any injurious effects. If this be not 



IN FEVERS. 157 

sufficient, a still larger quantity of saliva may be 
produced and swallowed by chewing, after each 
meal, some simple lozenge or gum. Any sufferer 
who will thoroughly practice this will be enabled to 
relieve himself from his sufferings. 

In acid dyspepsia it is important that the bread 
be thoroughly baked. I have known some patients 
who could only eat bread twice baked, so as to 
brown each slice a little. This browning partially 
converts the starch into dextrine, which is easily 
digested. The German zwieback is a good example 
of a twice baked bread; granula is another; still 
another is gofio,the principal food of the inhabitants 
of the Azores. The grain is nicely roasted, but so 
as to be only slightly browned, and then ground 
into a fine flour. It may be eaten in milk or water. 
Wheat and corn in equal proportions make the best. 
Dr. C. F. Taylor speaks of this food enthusiastically, 
and mentions the fact that it proved a cure for his 
own previously obstinate acid dyspepsia. The in- 
habitants who live mainly on gofio are exceed- 
ingly well developed physically, and capable of 
doing hard work. 

IN FEVERS. 

In fevers it is important to nourish the patient 
wisely and carefully. He may generally take In- 
dian gruel, Graham flour gruel, oatmeal and barley 
flour gruel, baked milk toast, flaxseed tea and rice 
and milk. 

In typhoid fever, milk and koumyss may consti- 
tute the principal foods. The juices of fruits, es- 
pecially grapes, peaches, oranges and lemons are 
generally admissable. Sometimes there is a crav- 



158 FOOD IN VARIOUS DISEASES. 

ing for some particular food, in which case it is gen- 
erally best to allow it. I once had a patient very ill 
with fever, who begged for lettuce and vinegar, and 
would take nothing else until I had given him that 
which was desired; it was relished and did him 
good. 

The drinks in fever should be pure soft water in 
abundance, rice water, currant jelly water, lemon- 
ade, gum arabic water, orange juice and koumyss. 
Milk, plain or peptonized, guarded with lime water, 
may be used to great advantage when pure milk 
disagrees. Drinks made from the juices of fruits in 
their season may be used as the taste and condition 
of the patient demand. 

DIET IN CONSTIPATION. 

Constipation may almost always be cured by the 
use of brown bread— not taken occasionally, but 
regularly — and fruit, together with such other arti- 
cles as are digestible and nutritious. 

All fresh vegetables, vegetables with salad oil, 
boiled spinach and boiled dandelion are appropriate. 

Stewed prunes, stewed figs, tamarinds, baked sour 
apples, dried fruits, such as apples, peaches and 
pears ; melons, grapes — in short, fruits generally. 
Oranges on rising in the morning are excellent. 

Drink pure soft water abundantly, and especially 
before meals ; a glass of hot water an hour before 
meals will be useful; new eggs, buttermilk and 
lemonade are not objectionable, only never overload 
the stomach with them. 

Avoid salt or smoked fish or meat, peas, beans, 
pickles, pastry, tea, alcoholic drinks and cheese. 

See under the head of "Rye," a method of treat- 
ing obstinate cases. 



IN bright's disease— rheumatism. 159 

IN bright's disease. 

In this disease a plain, nutritious vegetable diet, 
including milk, is preferable. Raw oysters and 
clams may be used. Good brown bread and all 
farinaceous articles, well cooked, may be used in 
moderation in their turn, including, of course, rice, 
hominy, wheaten grits, toast, oatmeal and gruels. 

Of vegetables, use in their season spinach, celery, 
water cress and lettuce. 

Of drinks, it is of the utmost importance to have 
pure soft water — distilled water would be preferable. 
Fresh milk should be used. I have known a patient 
almost beyond hope with Bright's disease appar- 
ently recover on a diet of bread and milk, with a 
little fruit, and another on a diet of new milk alone. 
Such a diet relieves the kidneys of much of their 
labor, and gives nature an opportunity to repair any 
injury of these organs. More can be done to cure 
this disease by diet and hygiene than by drugs. 

Let the patient avoid pastry and every form of 
food not easily digestible. If flesh is used it should 
be only in the greatest moderation. 

CHRONIC RHEUMATISM. 

In chronic or semi-acute rheumatism depend on 
a vegetable diet, especially brown bread, spinach, 
celery, salads, cresses and all sorts of acid fruits. 

Drink pure soft water, hot or cold, in abundance. 

Avoid fried fish, cooked oysters and clams, pork, 
veal, turkey, potatoes ; all gravies and made dishes 
and fried dishes ; excess of nitrogenous food ; beer 
and all malt liquors, wines, etc. 

In rheumatism, a vegetarian diet will, in most 



160 FOOD IN VARIOUS DISEASES. 

cases, give great relief, and other hygienic measures 
will complete the cure, where a cure is possible. A 
most persistent case of semi-acute rheumatism, 
which had defied medical skill and Turkish baths 
combined, coming under my care as a last resource, 
has been entirely cured by diet, with one bath each 
week. The bill of fare prescribed was : For break- 
fast — oatmeal porridge, whole meal bread and butter, 
fruit, cocoa or weak tea ; for dinner — whole meal 
bread and butter, fruit and vegetables, especially rice 
in every form, and baked potatoes; for supper- 
whole meal bread, butter and tea, and fruit if de- 
sired. Flesh was forbidden, also all spirituous 
drinks. A sun bath, with massage and the rubbing 
of oil on the affected parts, was advised daily, and 
a Turkish bath weekly. Of course exposure to cold 
and damp were to be avoided, and medicines given 
up. Treatment was to be continued six months at 
least. In that time the patient became well and 
strong. A very large proportion of sufferers from 
rheumatism may cure themselves by the same or 
similar means. It only requires perseverance and 
good hygienic conditions. It is essential to have 
the best of whole meal bread. Thorough mastica- 
tion is also essential. Over eating must be avoided. 
Gentle exercise is desirable. 

DIET IN CORPULENCE. 

In corpulence exercise is of the utmost importance, 
and especially exercises that bring air into the 
lungs to burn up the excess of fat. Vegetables 
and farinaceous foods are preferable. Moderation 
is advised, but very rarely practiced by the patient. 
Brown bread is always to be eaten. Baked or boiled 



IN GOUT— DIABETES. 161 

potatoes, peas, beans, asparagus, cauliflower, celery, 
cresses, spinach, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, 
radishes, squash, turnips, grapes, oranges, cherries 
and acid fruits may be used freely. The grape cure, 
previously mentioned, will prove useful. 

Pure soft water should be taken freely ; indeed, it 
had better be the only drink. 

IN GOUT. 

In gout use about the same food as in rheumatism. 
Eat sparingly and exercise as much as possible in 
order to promote excretion. Live on ten cents a 
day and earn it. 

DIABETES. 

In diabetes use as the only bread, gluten bread, so 
excellently made now by many health food com- 
panies, eggs and butter; green vegetables, such as 
summer cabbage, turnip tops, spinach, water cresses, 
mustard, sauerkraut, lettuce, sorrel, mushrooms, 
celery, string beans, dandelion, cold slaw, Brussels 
sprouts, cucumbers, asparagus, truffles, radishes, 
onions, olives and olive oil, eggs, etc. 

Drink pure soft water, koumyss, buttermilk and 
acid fruit juices. 

Avoid sweet milk, liver, ordinary bread, toast; 
farinaceous vegetables, such as potatoes, rice, oat- 
meal, corn meal, sago, tapioca, arrowroot, etc. ; 
saccharine vegetables, such as turnips, parsnips, 
carrots, green peas, French beans, beet root, toma- 
toes; sweet fruits of all kinds; all preserves, syrups, 
sugars, cocoa, chocolate, cordials, sweet wines ; all 
pastry, puddings, ice cream and honey. 



162 FOOD IN VARIOUS DISEASES. 

A flesh diet is generally advised in diabetes, but 
according to Dr. Hofmeister, an exclusive meat diet 
in this disease is dangerous. Diabetics ought to 
conscientiously masticate every mouthful of food, 
so as to mix it well with saliva to make its diges- 
tion perfect. 

IN DIARRHEA AND SUMMER COMPLAINTS. 

In these diseases gruels made from baked flour 
will be useful. Boiled milk is also often suitable. 
I have found that blackberries stewed with sugar 
and water, the juice poured off and taken freely is 
a sovereign cure for diarrhea. Sometimes the juice 
of peaches and strawberries or any acid dried fruit 
will answer the same purpose if the blackberry can- 
not be obtained. I advise that blackberries be dried 
and kept for emergencies of this kind. Pure water 
should be provided; and if the water be not pure 
it should be boiled or distilled. Rusks made from 
twice baked bread are excellent ; they may be taken 
with fresh milk. 

In diarrhea avoid all crude, indigestible food, and 
all hard or tainted water. 

IN CONSUMPTION. 

In consumption, the diet should be nutritious and 
easily digested. Raw oysters, clams, new milk, 
cream, eggs, butter, olive oil, the best of brown 
bread from good wheat (that from which the exter- 
nal cuticle has been removed being preferred), corn 
bread, rye bread and rice ; spinach, asparagus, let- 
tuce, cresses, celery, tomatoes and greens ; fruits, if 



IN NERVOUS DISEASES. 163 

they agree, and baked potatoes may be taken as 
they are found adapted to the case. 

For drinks — hot water, Vichy, pure, soft, spring 
water, fresh milk just from a healthy cow, 
goat's milk if the stomach bears it well, and cocoa 
rather than tea or coffee. 

In this dreadful disease the nutritive organs are 
generally weak and assimilation is poor, so every- 
thing that can be done to keep them strong should 
be done. The fact that air is a food should never 
be lost sight of in the treatment of this disease, and 
every effort should be made to get as much of it 
into the lungs as possible. This is best accomplished 
by a life in the open air, by horseback riding, by 
rowing, and by such gymnastic exercises for the 
chest as will expand and enlarge it. When the 
season will permit it, the consumptive may even 
sleep out of doors, in tents or protected places to 
advantage. I know a lady given over to incurable 
lung disease, who for several years has slept in a 
good hammock in the veranda of her summer home 
during several months each season, to manifest ad- 
vantage to her health, the object being to secure an 
abundance of pure fresh air. 

Avoid all indigestible food, including pastry, hot 
bread, etc. 

DIET IN NERVOUS DISEASES. 

In nervous diseases the patient may choose from 
a large variety of foods to suit any notion or fancy 
that takes possession of his mind. In most cases it 
is preferable for the nervous invalid to confine him- 
self to a wisely-chosen vegetable diet ; good brown 



164 FOOD IN VARIOUS DISEASES. 

bread, milk, cream, butter, eggs, oatmeal, salads 
and fruits will constitute the principal articles. Of 
vegetables, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, cresses, 
lettuce and celery will all be xiseful. 

Drinks may be chosen from pure soft water in 
abundance, either hot or cold, cocoa, milk and the 
juice of fruits, especially orange and lemonade. 

DIET IK CANCER. 

Cancer is a disease more frequent among those 
who live high than among those who live low, and 
it is comparatively rare among those whose food is 
mainly drawn from the vegetable kingdom. Several 
cases of its cure have been recorded by adopting an 
abstemious vegetable diet, mainly one of fruit and 
bread, with a little milk or cream. This seems rea- 
sonable, at least, especially in the early stages of 
the malady ; at any rate, the experiment is well 
worth trying, particularly in connection with other 
hygienic conditions, which cannot be mentioned 
here. 

ULCERATION OF THE STOMACH. 

This rare disease requires the greatest care in 
diet. Milk, either with or without lime water? 
comes nearest to the requirements of any food. 
It is bland and unirritating, which is important. 
But little should be taken at a time — a teaspoonful, 
or even less, is enough at first. This may be re- 
peated in an hour, and so on through the day. In 
increasing the amount use the greatest care, so as 
not to bring on a relapse. Of course such a meagre 
diet will not support the patient perfectly • but if he 



FOR THE THIN — MARASMUS. 1G5 

avoids all expenditure of strength so far as possible, 
it will keep him from starvation until nature heals 
the ulcer, which will not take very long. Some of 
the worst cases have been cured by this diet. 

MARASMUS. 

Marasmus and wasting diseases I have found, es- 
pecially in the young, if over two years of a,ge, best 
overcome by the use of whole meal gems and new 
milk and the juices of stewed fruits, especially the 
juice of stewed dried apples cooked with some sugar. 
At first the bread may be soaked in the milk; much 
of its valuable salts and other soluble matter will in 
a little time be dissolved. Such cases usually need 
oil, and it is best applied hot on the skin in the form 
of an oil bath. It is wonderful how much will be 
absorbed by a starving child's skin in a day. I have 
treated a few of the most hopeless cases in this way 
with very excellent results. It requires the aid, 
however, of the most faithful mother or nurse, will- 
ing to co-operate with the physician, to produce the 
best effects. The general feeling that such sufferers 
require raw meat has demoralized people so much 
that not every mother will trust to such treatment 
until all others have failed. 

DIET FOR THE THIN. 

Some people are constitutionally inclined to be 
thin, as others are to be fat, and it is almost im_ 
possible to change their nature. I remember once 
owning a horse that would not take on flesh. He 
was very high spirited, always uneasy and inclined 
to go. His nervous system was excitable, irritable. 



166 FOOD IN VARIOUS DISEASES. 

The sight of a whip would cause him to spring for- 
ward with a bound. An uncle of mine, whose horses 
were always fat and sleek, told me I must quiet 
down his nervous system if I wanted him to take 
on flesh, and he told me how to do it. Following 
his directions I changed the slender, excitable creat- 
ure to one quite round and gentle. With many hu- 
man beings there exists the same difficulty. They 
are lean by nature, perhaps, and never easy or 
restful. Their nervous systems need to be quieted 
and calmed ; then they may increase in flesh. Their 
food should contain more fat and starch than that 
for persons of an opposite tendency. Cream, milk, 
sugar, cocoa, butter, etc., may, with other articles 
of a similar nature, be used freely, providing they 
agree with the stomach and are, well borne. 

DIET FOR INEBRIATES. 

The diet for inebriates is most difficult to manage, 
as such patients have perverted their normal sense 
of taste so that simple, nutritious food has lost all its 
charms. Something is demanded which will make 
a strong impression on the nerves, as pepper, salt 
and other condiments. So long as this perversion 
continues a radical cure is difficult. On this account 
it is highly important that the inebriate and, in 
fact, all who are addicted to strong drinks, makes 
every effort to re-establish a natural sense of taste, 
a love for simple, nutritious, but unstimulating 
food, and especially for the finest fruits in their 
season. It would be well for him to begin every 
meal with an orange, or with some very fine grapes, 
or a perfect melon ; to abstain from all spices and 



FOOD FOR ORPHAN ASYLUMS, ETC. 167 

condiments, except a little salt, and to persevere in 
this for a long time. I do not say that it will cure 
the confirmed inebriate ; but it will aid materially, 
and many cases not confirmed may be prevented 
from becoming so. As I have said elsewhere, the 
sanitarian and the cook have an important mission 
in stemming the tide of intemperance ; and they 
have also an equally important work in helping to 
cure the victims of alcohol . The hot water cure for 
' inebriates is to be recommended. 

FOOD FOR ORPHAN ASYLUMS, PRISONS, ETC. 

Orphans condemned to live in asylums should be 
fed better than they are, and a rightly constituted 
vegetable diet would be most beneficial. Of course 
if the diet adopted be not wisely selected it will fail; 
but if wisely selected it will not fail. 

In Mr. Fegan's Homes for Boys, in London, it was 
adopted several years since with great benefit, and 
he now writes concerning it as follows : 

"I am often asked if the boys in our Homes are 
still fed on a ' non-flesh ' diet, and if so, how we find 
this system (for after three years' experience it can 
hardly be still called an experiment) to answer. I 
take this opportunity of explaining that our boys 
have been living on a 'Vegetarian' dietary since 
the spring of 1885, with great advantage to their 
general health. Many of the boys in our Homes 
come from a weakly stock ; many of them have had . 
their constitutions debilitated by neglect and ex- 
posure ; yet the incontestable fact remains that the 
general health of the boys is not only better than in 
ordinary families, but better than it has ever been 



168 FOOD IN VARIOUS DISEASES. 

before in our Homes. If our boys, instead of being 
brought up as the elder ones are, in a densely popu- 
lated neighborhood like Southwark, were reared in 
the suburbs or country, I suppose sickness of any 
kind would hardly ever be known amongst them. 
I am sure that our medical officer will bear me out 
that the appearance of the boys has greatly im- 
proved, and that with a truly remarkable immunity 
from ailments of all kinds during the last three 
years. It must be remembered that we use only 
whole meal bread, and that every meal is ad lib." 

If boys are to be reformed they must be well fed, 
whether their food is mixed or not. Indeed, it is 
a crime to feed them on cheap or insufficient food, 
as is too often the case. They should always have 
whole meal wheaten bread, butter, milk, eggs, fruit, 
potatoes, oatmeal, corn meal and cocoa as much as 
they require. 

PURE FOOD. 

Pure food is very important, and the consumer 
must consider this. Impurities that pass into the 
blood continue their course with the nourishment 
to the very minutest ramifications of the blood- 
vessels, and even into the so called cells, cannot 
promote nutrition, but, on the contrary, retard and 
prevent it. 

Much has been said of late concerning diseased 
flesh and milk as causes of consumption. We have 
yet no reliable facts as to whether this disease 
may really be transferred by flesh and milk from 
animals to man, though the probabilities favor it. 
But even if there be no real danger, none of us feel 



CLIMATE AND SEASONS. 160 

like eating diseased flesh or milk, even when well 
cooked. There is no doubt that the danger from 
impure and diseased food is greater than from dis- 
eased vegetables ; though in the latter we are not 
altogether free. It requires thoughtfulness and 
painstaking to always secure pure food, and it is 
worth all the trouble it costs. 

CLIMATE AND SEASONS. 

Climate and seasons have a marked influence on 
the amount and kind of food demanded. In cold 
seasons and regions more hydrocarbons and fats are 
required than in warm climates and parts of the 
year. The extra amount is needed to restore the loss 
of animal heat by exposure to the cold. To some 
extent, however, we modify this by clothing, warm 
houses, etc. Those who pay most attention to this 
subject in temperate regions, as soon as the winter 
gives place to spring demand fresh vegetables, sal- 
ads and articles rich in water and mineral salts, and 
this is a wise thing for all. To those, however, 
who provide an abundant supply of fruit for every 
season of the year, and who do not during winter 
eat heavy meals of indigestible food there is less 
need of this than for others. 

COOKERY. 

Cookery should be both a science and an art. The 
cook should be educated, should know the value of 
all foods, know how to combine them in order to 
procure a suitable proportion of all their ingredients 
for the daily needs of the body, and how to pre- 
serve and bring out their best qualities and proper- 



170 FOOD IN VARIOUS DISEASES. 

ties. Men as well as women should learn the art 
and the science of preparing food properly. Women 
are more inclined to take to the art side of the sub- 
ject, and men to the science of it. A combination 
of their knowledge and of their tastes is preferable 
to either alone. The fundamental principles of all 
cookery should have their foundations laid deep in 
knowledge. This would render the subject a delight 
instead of as now, a drudgery. 



Recipes. 



The following recipes are not intended to supplant others, but supple* 
ment them. None for cooking flesh are given, these being already in 
superabundance in every work on cookery. Those marked C are accredit- 
ed to The Cook, and all have been carefully tested by a competent author- 
ity. No one, however, will be so thoughtless as to expect to prepare a 
delicious and wholesome dish by mechanically following a formula. The 
cook must put his or her whole soul into the work, and do everything in a 
painstaking way. I sometimes think that cooks, like poets, are born, not 
made; but in either case education and training are positively necessary. 
One artist, with the same brushes, paint and canvas, brings out a portrait 
which the world admires, and the other only a daub. One cook, with the 
same material, utensils and oven, makes a delicious and palatable dish, 
and another, one that would give dyspepsia to a dog. What is the rea- 
son? It lies in the brains that are mixed with the ingredients. So I ad- 
vise all who use these recipes to add brains to them as well as the other 
ingredients. 



SOUPS. 

Split Pea Soup.— Put one pint of split peas, which have been previously 
soaked in cold water six hours, into two quarts of pure soft water. Let 
them boil for one hour, then add one carrot, one parsnip, one turnip, one 
onion, and a head of celery, all cut small, and boil the whole another hour, 
or till soft. Strain the soup from the vegetables, and thicken with one 
large tablespoonful of flour and one of butter, cooked together in a small 
saucepan ; add a teaspoonful of salt ; boil the whole for ten minutes more, 
and serve in a tureen with toasted or plain wheat-meal bread. Mix the 
vegetables well, and put them into a mold or a basin, and then into a vege- 
table dish, and serve it with steamed or baked potatoes. Salt moderately. 

Bean Soap.— Wash and pick over one pint of white beans ; steep them 
twenty-four hours in pure soft water ; turn it off ; set them on the fire in 
two quarts of water, let them boil for two hours, then add two sliced 
onions, one parsnip, one carrot, and a little salt. Boil the whole gently for 
another hour, rub through a strainer and thicken as with pea soup, and 
serve. 

Barley and Bread Soup.— Take three ounces of barley, one and a half 
ounces of stale bread-crumbs, one and a half ounces of butter, one-half 
ounce of salt, and one-quarter ounce of parsley. Wash and steep the bar- 



172 RECIPES. 

ley for twelve hours, in one-half pint of water, to which a piece of car- 
bonate of soda, the size of a pea, has been added ; then pour off the water 
not absorbed, and add the crumbs of stale bread, three quarts of boiling 
water, and the salt. Digest these in a salt-glazed covered jar, in the o^en, 
or boil them slowly in a well-tinned covered pan, for from four to six 
hours, adding the chopped parsley with the butter, thirty minutes before 
the expiration of the time of boiling. 

Browned Flour for Soups, Sauces, etc. — Put into an ordinary bak- 
ing-pan a pound of rice flour, spread it out evenly, and set the pan in an 
oven hot enough to bake bread; when the top is of a brownirh yellow stir 
with a spoon to brown the whole quantity evenly; when done, let it cool, 
and put it in wide-mouthed bottles until wanted. A small quantity of it is 
excellent for coloring and thickening many dishes.— C. 

Onion Soup.— Peel and cut into very small pieces three medium-sized 
onions ; fry them in a little butter until tender, but not brown ; pour over 
them a quart of hot water, add salt, simmer thirty minutes ; press the soup 
through a sieve; put it in a saucepan and add three tablespoonfuls of 
grated bread crumbs and a pint of hot cream ; taste for seasoning, and 
serve with small slices of toast. Thicken if desired.— C. 

Mock Besque.— (Mrs. Lincoln.) One half can tomatoes, one quart milk, 
one-third cup butter, one tablespoonful corn starch, one teaspoonful salt, 
one-half saltspoonful white pepper. Stew the tomatoes till soft enough 
to strain. Boil the milk in a double boiler. Cook one tablespoonful of the 
butter and the cornstarch together in a small saucepan, adding enough of 
the hot milk to make it pour easily. Pour over it the boiling milk, stirring 
carefully, and boil ten minutes. Add the remainder of the butter in small 
pieces and stir till mixed. Add salt, pepper and strained tomatoes. If the 
tomatoes are very acid add half a small teaspoonful of soda before strain- 
ing. Serve very hot. More tomatoes can be added, but this quantity 
makes a delicate soup. Celery salt is a still better seasoning for this and 
other soups than pepper, to which many object. 

Corn and Tomato Soup.— Stew one quart tomatoes till soft, strain 
and return to the kettle. To this add one pint of green corn which has 
been grated or scraped from the cob after slitting down the center of each 
row with a sharp knife. Add a quart of boiling water and cook half an 
hour longer, salt to taste and serve with squares of toast. New potatoes 
boiled separately, and added when all are done, is a variation of this excel- 
lent soup. 

Julienne Soup.— This is a clear soup, containing vegetables in season, 
cut into neat fancy shapes or slender strips. Add to two quarts of clear 
soup a tablespoonful each of string beans, asparagus tops, the outside of 
a carrot and a young turnip. These should be first boiled in water slightly 
salted before adding to the soup.— C. 

Puree of Sweet Peas.— Wash two quarts of freshly-gathered sweet 
peas; drain and plunge them into three quarts of boiling water, salted. 
Boil three-quarters of an hour and rub through a sieve and return the 
pulp to the range. Beat two eggs thoroughly, and add to them salt and 



PRECIPES. 173 

pepper and a teaspoonful of onion vinegar ; whisk this into the water in 
which the pea-pods were boiled, and then add it gradually to the pulp. A 
blade of mint is sometimes added for flavoring; but care should be exer- 
cised that the delicate flavor of the sweet or edible podded pea is not de- 
stroyed.— C. 

Cream of Rice.— Wash thoroughly half a pound of rice, and pick out 
all imperfect or colored grains. Put it into a saucepan and add two quarts 
of water; boil slowly one hour; rub the rice through a sieve twice, return 
It to the broth, and season with salt and pepper. Care must be exercised 
that the rice does not adhere to the bottom of the saucepan. Simmer until 
wanted. Beat up the yolks of two eggs and pour the puree over them in 
the tureen, stirring carefully, and serve with small bits of toast.— C. 

Potato Soup.— Wash and peel one dozen medium sized potatoes ; put 
them into a saucepan with two onions ; add three quarts of milk; boil one 
hour and a half, until the potatoes fall to pieces ; pour the soup through 
a sieve, and rub the potatoes through it to a fine pulp ; put the whole into 
the saucepan again; when very hot add a pint of hot cream. Salt and 
serve. 

Puree of Tomatoes.— Put two pounds of best "solid" tomatoes in a 
saucepan, add half a spoonful of salt, a clove of garlic, the smallest bit of 
mace and a quart of hot water. Let it simmer slowly for half an hour, care 
being taken not to let it burn; then pass it through a fine collender or 
sieve. Wet half a teaspoonful of flour with cold water, rub smooth, fill 
the cup by tablespoonfuls with the tomato, and pour it into the soup ; 
taste for seasoning; simmer a moment, and you have a rich thick soup. 

Brown Soup, — One pound of turnips, one pound of carrots, four 
onions, one and a half pints of peas, four ounces of butter, and half a 
pound of bread. Cut the vegetables into small pieces, put them in a pan 
with the butter, cover the pan, and let them stew over the fire till brown 
occasionally stirring them ; put in the peas with the water in which they 
were boiled ; add sufficient boiling water to make three quarts altogether : 
next add the bread, which should be browned or toasted before the fire, 
but not burnt ; season, and let the soup boil gently for three or four 
hours ; rub it through a coarse sieve, return it into the pan ; let it boil and 
it will be ready to serve. If dried peas are used, they should be steeped 
for twenty- four hours in soft water, and boiled for two hours. 

Barley Soup.— Three ounces of barley, one and a half ounces of stale 
bread crumbs, one ounce of butter, quarter of an ounce of chopped pars- 
ley, and half an ounce of salt. Wash, and steep the barley for twelve 
hours in half a pint of water, to which a piece of soda, the size of a pea, 
has been added; pour off the water that is not absorbed: add the bread 
crumbs, three quarts of boiling water, and the salt; boil slowly for four or 
five hours, and add the parsley and butter about half an hour before the 
soup is ready to be served. The addition of four potatoes and one pint of 
tomatoes converts it into barley and tomato soup. 

Celery Soup.— Six roots of celery, one large turnip, two ouuces of 
onions, four ounces of bread crumbs, one ounce of butter, one dessert- 



174 RECIPES. 

spoonful of flour, and half a pint of cream. Strip off all the green part 
of the celery, using only the white ; cut it into shreds, reserving the inside 
of three of the roots to be added afterward ; slice the turnip and onion, 
and put them with the celery into a pan ; add two quarts of water, the 
bread crumbs, and a little salt ; let all boil till the vegetables are perfectly 
soft ; rub through a sieve ; return it to the pan ; add the celery (previously 
boiled till quite soft), the butter, and flour, well mixed ; stir it, seasoning 
it with a little mace ; and, after boiling a quarter of an hour, stir in the 
cream, but do not allow it to boil afterward. 

Browning for Soups.— Three large spoonfuls of brown sugar; one 
half pint of boiling water. Put the sugar into a frying-pan, set it on the 
fire to brown, stirring it with a wooden spoon, that it may not burn . When 
sufficiently dark- colored, stir into the boiling water; when thoroughly 
mixed put it into a bottle; when cold, cork it closely down, and use a 
tabiespoonful or more, as may be required, to give a color to your soup. 
A burnt onion or two can be made of use for the purpose of browning, and 
is often considered an improvement. 

Potato Soup.— One quart of potatoes, pared and cut into small strips or 
blocks, a large sprig of parsley, the same of thyme or sweet marjoram and 
one onion, cut fine ; boil three-fourths of an hour in three quarts of water, 
then add half a pint of cream or new milk *, put a small tabiespoonful cf 
butter into a small saucepan, where it will soften, and stir into it two 
spoonsful of flour, add to the soup, and boil five minutes. Drop-dumpimgs 
made with a little flour and cream or yeast and milk are an addition. Foe 
a richer dish pour the boiling soup over two well beaten eggs into the 
tureen in which it is served. 

Green-Pea Soup.— Take two quarts of green peas, one small onion, and 
a sprig of parsley cut fine ; add two quarts of hot water, and boil slowly 
for half an hour, then add a pint of small new potatoes which have been 
peeled and laid in coid water an hour ; put m a tabiespoonful of sugar 
and a little salt, boil till the potatoes are done ; now add a teacupful of 
cream or a pint of milk, boil a minute or two, and serve with smaii slices 
of toasted bread or gems cut in halves. 

Tomato Soup.— Take two quarts of fresh or canned tomatoes, scald and 
peel, without breaking ; do not cut or fork them. Put into a granitized or 
porcelain kettle, add two quarts of boiling water and a teaspoonful of 
salt, and set on the fire or in the oven, cover, and let them stew slowly 
three-quarters of an hour. Mix two tablespoonsful of flour with a table- 
rpoonful of butter, or a teacupful of good cream, boil together, stir into 
t he soup, let it boil ten minutes, and dish up with small thin siices of weil- 
toasted bread. 

Another variety of soup can be obtained by adding one quart of water 
and one of cut potatoes. 

A teacupful of grated corn added to the soup when you put in the flour, 
etc., will be an excellent addition, and render the imitation of oyster soup 
more complete. Simmer the corn only ten minutes, if it is fresh and full 
of milk. 



RECIPES. 175 

Vermicelli Soup.- Six ounces of vermicelli, two quarts of new milk, 
the yolks of four eggs, and one pint of cream. Blanch the vermicelli by 
setting it on the fire in cold water ; when it boils, drain off the water, and 
put it into cold water; let it remain a few minutes, and then drain the 
water entirely from it; put it into a pan with the milk, and boil it ; beat up 
the yolks of the eggs, and after gradually adding a pint of boiled cream, 
strain through a sieve. Take off the pan; add the eggs, cream, a small 
lump of white sugar, and a teaspoonful of salt, and stir the soup on the 
fire till near boiling, then serve. 

Barley Broth.— Four ounces of Scotch barley, four ounces of onions, 
four ounces of oatmeai, or Indian meal, and two ounces of butter. After 
washing the barley well, steep it in fresh water for twelve hours ; set it on 
the fire in two quarts of water, adding the onions and a little salt, and 
boil gently for an hour and a quarter. Melt the butter in a saucepan ; stir 
in the meal till it becomes a paste; then add a little of the broth gradu- 
ally till it is of a proper thickness to mix with the whole quantity $ stir 
well together till it boils, and mix with a little of the broth a drachm of 
celery seed, pounded : stir well m the broth : simmer gently a quarter of 
an hour longer, and serve. 

Notb.— For the convenience of those who have not an opportunity of 
weighing the ingredients for the soups, it may be stated that one large 
tablespoonful will be about equal to one ounce, and one teaspoonful to a 
quarter of an ounce. But weighing should be resorted to whenever it is 
possible. 

It may be remarked that in summer the lighter soups are preferable, and 
even in winter they are better for those who are not able-bodied and do 
not work hard at muscular labor. 

Tn seasoning soups use judgment ; it is unwise to season too highly with 
stimulating condiments 

PORRIDGES. 

Note.— All porridges should be stirred as little as possible while cooking, 
and the water should boil hard before adding the meal or flour. A careful 
cook can sift the grain into the boiling water through her fingers so as to 
prevent the formation of lumps, pausing between each handful to permit 
the boiling to recommence. This is the case with all preparations of grain 
which are already partially cooked and only require boiling fifteen or 
twenty minutes. Where the water is not sufficiently hot, the preparations 
will have a pasty taste, no matter how long they may be cooked. 

All the late preparations of oatmeal and whole wheat, wneatena, cereal- 
ine, oatflakes, etc., have printed recipes accompanying each package* but 
the rule of having boiling water, in every case, cannot be too strongly 
insisted upon. 

When cooking grain in a double boiler, the water should never be al- 
lowed to cease boiling for an instant. Among cereals to be cooked in this 
way are pearl barley, pearl wheat, rolled or cracked wheat, hominy and 
samp. 



176 RECIPES, 

Wheat-meal Porridge.— Having: boiled one quart of soft water, and 
mixed half a pound of meal in a little cold water, mix them together, and 
boil for fifteen minutes, stirring- it occasionally and adding salt to taste. 
Pour it into basins and let it stand for ten minutes. To be eaten with 
f rui t, cream, sugar or molasses, and bread. A handful of dates improves 
the flavor. 

Indian-meal Porridge.— Make same as the wheat-meal porridge, only 
that it must be cooked for nearly an hour, and be made thinner, to allow 
for the evaporation which comes from the boiling. 

Indian Farina Porridge. — To one pint of boiling water add four 
tablespoonf uls of farina ; mix and serve the same as the wheat-meal por- 
ridge. 

Arrowroot Porridge.— Mix one ounce of prepared arrowroot with a 
tablespoonful of cold water, then pour bo iling water on it to make it the 
required thickness, stirring it well at the same time. A slice or two of 
lemon with a little sugar will be found an improvement. To be eaten with 
crackers or bread. 

Boiled Wheat Porridge.— Having soaked over night one pound of 
good wheat in pure soft water, strain the water off and add a quart of 
fresh, and then stew it gently till quite soft. It may be eaten aa wheat- 
meal porridge. 

Oatmeal Gruel.— Mix one tablespoonful of oatmeal with a little cold 
milk and stir into it one pint of boiling milk cooked in a double boiler. 
Let it boil for half an hour, adding a trifle of sugar, if desired, and salt to 
taste. Water can be used instead of milk. Barley, rice-flour, arrow- 
root, farina and cornstarch may be prepared the same way.- 

Shredded Oats.— Put into a porcelain-lined pan two quarts of boiling 
water; add half a teaspoonful of salt; stir into it, gradually, six ounces of 
the shredded oats; boil twenty minutes, and serve with fruit, sugar, 
milk or cream. It is very good the next day, served cold with cream and 
sugar. 

Gluten a with Cream.— This excellent preparation consists of the glu- 
ten and phosphates of wheat. Stir into a quart of fast-boiling water half 
a teaspoonful of salt and a half-pint measure of the glutena ; add to it the 
water gradually, stirring it to prevent burning : boil it twelve to fourteen 
minutes and serve with rich cream. Made tho night before, and served 
cold, it is a very acceptable breakfast dish.— C. 

Wheat FlaUes with Cream.— Put in one quart of boiling water a 
saltspoonful of salt; stir into it three ounces of wheat flakes, gradually; 
simmer fifteen minutes and serve with cream. During warm weather it 
should be prepared the night before, and kept on ice to be served the next 
morning at breakfast. 

Oat Farina with Cream.— To one quart of boiling water add half a 
teaspoonful of salt ; stir in slowly half a pint of oat farina ; stir constantly : 
simmer thirty minutes ; pour it into cups, and place these on ice over 



RECIPES. 177 

night. The next morning turn them out and serve with cold cream and 
sugar. This is an excellent breakfast dish for children. 

How to Coolc Rice.— A South Carolina rice planter describes the way 
in which his negro cook prepared rice, as follows : " First, he poured a pint 
of rice into a tin pan and picked it over very carefully, throwing out any 
foreign substances. Then he poured into the pan some cold water, washed 
the rice, poured the water off, and picked the rice again. A second time it 
was washed and the water poured off. Then he put the rice into an ordi- 
nary two-quart saucepan, covered it to the depth of half an inch with cold 
water, stirred in the salt, fitted on the top carefully and put the saucepan 
on a quick fire of coals, and went to his other work. In just twenty min- 
utes he returned to his rice and removed the lid. It was done, but not yet 
ready for the table. There was a little water left, which was carefully 
poured off. The rice was thoroughly stirred from the bottom, not the top. 
Then a tin plate was laid lightly on the saucepan, and the saucepan set one 
side in the hot ashes, where it remained, very slowly steaming, one hour, 
or mayhap, two, when the rice was so dry that it might have been eaten 
with the fingers, and at the same time thorougly done, and soft through 
and through. No one can like raw rice, neither can any one like it soaked 
with water by an hour's boiling and no steaming."— C. 

Cold Boiled Rice with. Cream.— The rice must be boiled in a large 
pot or pan, which should be filled with ccld water. Wash half a pound of 
rice in several waters. This may be done by placing a collender in a large 
tin, putting the rice in the collender, pouring on cold water, and lifting it 
out several times so as to deposit all grit in the outer tin. Reject all husks 
and imperfect grains. Then place the rice in a pot or saucepan, as above 
mentioned ; add a very liberal quantity of cold water and a little salt, and 
boil rapidly for twenty or thirty minutes, according to the age and variety 
of the rice. Test the grains occasionally, and when a slight pressure be- 
tween the thumb and forefinger will crush them, they are done. If allowed 
to boil until the grains burst, or if boiled in a small quantity of water, the 
grains will stick together, which is objectionable ; when done, drain off all 
the water and place the rice near the range, where it will reject all moist- 
ure, but will not become hard and dry. Turn it out into an oval or square 
tin, keep on ice until the next morning, and serve with powdered sugar 
and cream.— C. 

Nudeln.— Germans are celebrated for making "Nudeln," or home-made 
macaroni, which takes the place of Italian preparations, and one has the 
advantage of knowing its composition, when it is made at home. Work 
into two beaten eggs as much flour as they will take, and knead it into a 
smooth, stiff dough; divide this into six equal parts and work them into 
balls ; put one at a time on a very smooth bread board, and roll it out with 
a straight even-surfaced rolling-pin until it is transparent in every part; 
lay each sheet on a clean towel as soon as finished, and by the time the last 
tali is rolled out the first will be dry enough to cut as follows: Cut the 
sheets into quarters, place them on top of each other with their cut edges 
quite even, and cut them with a sharp, thin steel knife into very narrow 
oord-like strips ; spread them apart to dry ; continue this process until all 



178 RECIPES. 

are cut. The sheets may be stamped with fancy-shaped cutters, when, 
if doubled, the forms will split when cooked. White nudeln are made with 
fiour and white of eggs. If intended for future use, dry them well, cover 
them with paper and keep in a dry place. When wanted for soups, boil 
them twelve to fifteen minutes in the soup ; let them float on top a few 
minutes and serve.— C. 

Sago Porridge.— Four tablespoon sful of sago, one saltspoonful of salt, 
and one quart of water. Soak the sago in cold water for a few minutes, 
and boil it gently about an hour, adding the salt ; pour it into soup-plates, 
and serve with molasses or sugar. 

Sago and Rice Porridge.— Equal quantities of sago and ground rice. 
Proceed as with sago porridge. 

MilU Porridge.— Take of new milk a pint and a half, and half a pint of 
water ; place it over the fire. When just ready to boil, stir in a tablespoon- 
f ul of fiour, wheat-meal, oatmeal, or Indian corn meal, previously mixed 
with a little water; after boiling a minute pour it on bread cut into small 
pieces. As milk burns quicker than almost any other article of food, it is 
always best to put it into a tin pail or farina kettle, which can be sur- 
rounded by boiling water while heating. 

Arrowroot Gruel.— Take one ounce of arrowroot and two large table- 
spoonsful of black currants. Put the currants into a pan with a quart of 
watei : cover the pan and let them stew gently about half an hour; then 
strain the liquid and set it on the fire. When boiling, pour it gradually 
upon the arrowroot, previously mixed with a little cold water, stirring it 
well; return it to the pan and boil it for a few minutes gently, adding 
sugar if required. 

Tapioca Gruel.— Wash a tablespoonful of tapioca and soak it in a pint 
and a half of water twenty minutes ; then boil gently, stirring frequently, 
till it is sufficiently cooked, and sweeten. 

Groat Gruel.— Pick the groats very clean and steep them in water for 
several hours ; then boil them in soft water till quite tender and thick, and 
add boiling water sufficient to reduce the whole to the consistency of 
gruel, also currants, sugar and grated nutmeg. Groats are made of oats' 
grain, the hulls being removed and the grain left quite whole, as are all 
preparations of this grain. This gruel is very nutritious. 



REMARKS AND RULES FOR GOOD 

BREAD. 

With good flour, a good oven, and a good, sensible, interested cook, we 
can be pretty sure of good, wholesome bread. Yeast bread is considered 
the standard bread, and is, perhaps, more generally found on every table 
than any other kind. Hence u is important to know how to make gocd, 
sweet, wholesome ye?st bread. Good tlour is the first indispensable, then 



RECIPES. 179 

good, lively yeast, either compressed yeast, yeast cakes or bottled; the 
former is preferable in all respects. Then, of course, there must be the 
proper materials to work with, A bread bowl or pan— the pan is easier 
kept clean— a stone or earthen jar for setting the sponge; a sieve — flour 
should always be sifted before making bread of any kind, first, to be sure 
that it is perfectly clean ; secondly, sifting enlivens and aerates the flour, 
and makes both mixing and rising easier and quicker; a clean, white cloth 
to cover the dough, and a woolen blanket to keep the dough at an even 
temperature while rising ; baking pans, deep and shallow, a large, strong 
spoon for stirring, and a little melted fresh butter for oiling the pans ; 
never use poor butter. If you want shortening, rich milk or cream scalded 
and cooled will answer the purpose and be most wholesome. But thor- 
ough kneading is better still, and this should always be done effectually. 
Scalding a portion of the flour makes a sweeter bread and speeds the work. 
YTater, milk or water or milk may be poured boiling hot on a quart or two 
of the flour, stirring well, and cooling to a moderate temperature before 
adding the yeast— this makes the sponge. Scalded flour always makes a 
little darker bread, unless we use buttermilk, which makes a rich, creamy, 
white bread. Yeast is fermented flour or meal in the first stages of decompo- 
sition or decay. Understanding this, every baker will comprehend the 
necessity of regulating the extent of the fermentation with the greatest 
care; for a sponge or bread fermented or ** raised" too long is decompos- 
ing, spoiling— actually rotting I This is the language of an experienced 
English baker to us only a few days ago, during a talk about the delicate, 
foamy loaves, "yeasted to death," which so many families are eating and 
calling "the staff of life," quite discarding the firm, sweet, substantial, 
home-made loaves which our mothers and grandmothers kneaded with 
their own skilled hands. Bread-making should stand at the head of domes- 
tic accomplishments, since the health and happiness of the family depends 
incalculably upon good bread ; and there comes a time in every true, 
thoughtful woman's experience when she is glad she can make nice, sweet, 
loaves, free from soda, alum, and other injurious ingredients, or an earnest 
regret that she neglected or was so unfortunate as not to have been taught 
at least the prime are requisites of good bread-making. 

Yeast.— Dry yeast or yeast cakes are more convenient and less liable to 
taste in the bread than baker's yeast. Three or four times a year there 
should be a fresh supply of yeast cakes prepared and carefully put m a dry 
place. Yeast cakes are manufactured and sold, some of which are very re- 
liable. To make dry yeast, steep for half en hour a handful of fresh hops 
in a quart of boiling water. Sift two quarts of flour in an earthen cr stone 
pan, and strain into the flour the boiling hop tea. Stir well and let it cool : 
when lukewarm add a cent's worth of baker's yeast or a cupful of good 
home-made yeast, and put in a tablespoonf ul of brown sugar, a tablcpoon- 
f ul ginger, a teaspoonful of salt, mix thoroughly and let it rise. It is best 
to prepare thi3 sponge overnight, and early in the morning it will be 
rounded up and light, and give you all day, which should be sunny and 
breezy, to make and dry the yeast cakes. Now mix into the sponge as 
much good corn meal as will make a stiff, firm dough, knead it well and 



180 RECIPES. 

make it into a long, round roll three or four inches in diameter. Cut it 
into slices half an inch thick, spread a clean cloth or clean paper on a 
board and lay the cakes on and put into alight, airy place to dry. Turn 
them several times during the day, and speed the drying as fast as possible. 
a c the fermentation goes while they remain moist. When dry put into a 
bag made of firm linen or cotton, tie close, and hang high and dry. 

Bread with Scalded Sponge.— Set your sponge the last thing at night, 
thus i Put one yeast cake to soften in half a cup of warm water, sift two 
quarts of flour into a bowl or pan that will hold four quarts, scald the flour 
with a sunlcient quantity of boiling water to moisten it all. Stir very thor- 
oughly till it is free from lumps and cool enough to put in the yeast cake, 
add the yeast, and set to rise in a warm place in winter, or in a cool place 
in summer. In the morning before breakfast the sponge will be risen 
round and foamy, and should be made immediately into dough. Sift as 
much flour as you need into your bread bowl or pan, and in cold weather 
to warm the flour will gain you time and credit. If you wish to make a 
Graham loaf or two, save one-third of the sponge for that, and mix the rest 
into the sifted and warmed flour, add a pint of warm water, or sufficient to 
make the flour into a firm dough, and knead until smooth and free from 
the board and hands. Put the dough back into the bread pan, cover with a 
clean cloth, and wrap a warmed blanket over the whole to keep from the 
air. The more muffled you wrap it the sooner the bread will rise. If the 
temperature has been just right, the bread will be ready to mold into the 
baking tins in less than two hours. Have the pans cleaned and oiled, 
divide the dough into loaves which will two-thirds fill the pan, knead light- 
ly with a little flour on the board, but use no more than you can help. 
Cover slightly and let it rise again till the loaf looks as large as it should 
be. Now the oven should be hot- with a firm, steady fire, which will last 
three-quarters of an hour; fresh fuel ;ought not to be added till the bread 
is flushed. Every cook should know just what her oven will do, and be 
governed accordingly ; if too hot at the bottom, set the pan up an inch; if 
too hot at the top, cover the loaf with brown paper; open the oven as little 
as possible. When baked, remove the loaf at once from the pan and put it 
to cool on a rack, or rest it on one edge. Never cover or allow the 
bread to sweat in the baking tins ; the crusts will soften as they cool. Good 
flour and properly made bread will not have hard crusts. When coZd, wrap 
the bread in the bread cloth and put into a tray or into a clean tin boiler, 
cover, but not air tight. Bread thus made will be good and fresh for 
several days. 

Remark.— The keen fermenting odor which starts up when the dough is 
ready for the second kneading is not sour, nor does it need soda. Soda 
kills the lively quality of yeast. 

Yeast Graiiam Bread.— -Take the remainder of the white flour sponge, 
a tablespoonf ul of sugar, and three pints of warm water ; mix them with 
Graham flour into as stiff a dough as you can stir well with a large spooa. 
Beat it up thoroughly for ten minutes, or, if you cannot manage the spoon, 
dip the hand into water, and work the dough till it is very smooth. Let it 



RECIPES. 181 

rise two hours, then stir it up and put it into deep baking: tins, and let it 
stand till it begins to rise again. Bake in a quick oven one hour. Graham 
flour ferments quicker than fine flour, and should not be allowed to rise so 
long. If. when the bread is cold, it seems too soft, remember, the next 
time, to mix the dough a little stiffer. The precise consistency cannot be 
guessed always, as some wheat works softer than others. The sweetening 
can be left out with propriety. Indeed, I never could see why Graham 
flour should be sweetened at all, as it has all the sugar of the grain left in, 
while fine flour has had the sugar taken out in the process of bolting. 

Bread with Potatoes,— Potatoes assist fermentation, and render the 
dough lighter and more tender when we wish to make bread in haste. Peel 
and boil, or steam, a quart of potatoes, mash them very fine, or what ia 
better, press them through a colander while they are hot; add half a pint 
of water and a saltspoonful of salt, stir them into a batter, and then put in 
a yeast cake proviously softened, or a teacupful of lively yeast, and make 
into a dough with two quarts of sifted flour. Knead it half an hour, put 
plenty of flour on your board, and knead it until it cleaves from the 
board with a light tearing sound. Be careful not to let your dough grow 
very cold while you work it. Divide into loaves, and set to rise in a warm 
place. Watch the process, and when the loaves are quite light have your 
oven in good heat and bake three-quarters of an hour. This bread is very 
nice if well made, i. e., the potatoes made very fine and kept hot, and 
perhaps the flour warmed also; but it is not so good when stale as that 
made with a scalded sponge. 

Delicious Biscuit.— Made in the same manner, only adding half a pint 
of sour cream instead of the water. Bring the cream to a scalding heat, 
and put in a teaspoonful of soda ; mix otherwise the same. Set to rise in 
the bowl, and, when light, make into small cakes. Put them close in the 
pan, and let them rise upward within an inch of the top of the pan and 
bake. 

Buttermilk Bread.— Put three or four pints of fresh buttermilk into 
a saucepan and boil it. Stir it pretty constantly while it is heating, to 
keep it from separating into whey and curd . Have a quart of flour sifted 
into a suitable vessel, pour the boiling buttermilk on the flour, and scald 
it thoroughly. Stir until all the flour is mixed, and set to cool. When 
sufficiently cool add a teacupful of good yeast, and let it rise overnight; 
in the morning sift and mix into the sponge enough flour to make a stiff 
dough ; knead well, and set to rise for two hours, then divide into loaves 
and knead slightly. At this time use as little flour as possible. Set to rise 
again, and bake as socn as light enough. Bake in a steady oven three 
quarters of an hour. This is a good sponge for dark, or tk runny" flour. The 
bread will bo white and moist. Graham flour, prepared with scalded but- 
temilk, mixed a little stiffer than where sweet milk or water is used, is 
very sweet and good. Do not put soda into the milk or sponge. It will 
be perfectly sweet when it is baked if the yeast is fresh, and if the whole 
process is carefully attended to at the right time. 



182 RECIPES. 

Sweet Potato Bune.— Boil and then mash three good-sized sweet po- 
tatoes with a pint of cream or new milk; mix with as much flour as will 
make a dough as for bread, adding a teacupful of good sponge or yeast. 
Knead well and set to rise. Always wrap your blanket closely around the 
bowl, and place where the wind or cold air does not come if you wish a 
quick rising. As soon as the dough begins to crack open, mold into small 
rolls and put close together in the baking pan. When sufficiently light 
bake in a moderate oven half an hour. 

Graham Muffins.— Dissolve half a cake of yeast in a little warm water, 
scald a quart of milk and pour it into two quarts of Graham flour, stir well, 
and let it cool sufficiently, then put in the yeast and a spoonful of brown 
sugar, make a very thick batter, which will heap on the spoon ; set to rise 
overnight. In the morning have a good hot oven, butter your rings and 
the pan well with cold butter, fill the rings two-thirds full, let them stand a 
few minutes in a warm place, then put them in a brisk oven and bake half 
an hour. 

Bread Muffins.— Take four slices of baker's bread, and cut off the crust. 
Lay them in a pan and pour boiling water over them, only.just sufficient to 
soak them well. Cover the vessel with a cloth, and when it has stood an 
hour draw off the water, and stir the soaked bread till the mass is quite 
smooth, then mix in two tablespoonsful of sifted flour and half a pint of 
milk, and stir in, gradually, two well-beaten eggs. Butter some muffin 
rings, set them in a buttered bake-pan, and fill each two- thirds full. Bake 
brown, and send to the table hot. 

Buckwheat Calces.— One quart of buckwheat flour and half a pint of 
Graham meal. Mix with lukewarm water into a batter, stir in a teacupful 
of good yeast sponge or a half cent's worth of baker's yeast ; mix in an 
earthen or stone vessel, and set overnight in a warm place to rise. If the 
temperature and yeast have been just right, the batter will be light and 
sweet, and not need soda. There must have been some mistake if the fer- 
ment needs neutralizing, and care should be taken to set cooler or perfect 
the yeast before baking a^-ain. 

Buckwheat Gravy.— Buckwheat cakes are considered rather an un- 
wholesome dish ; but we think their unwhulesomeness comes from the ex- 
cess of melted butter and syrup, which is usually eaten with them. Substitute 
this, at least for the children : Boil a pint of milk and half a pint of cream, 
put in half a teaspoon! ul of salt and two or three large spoonsful of buck- 
wheat batter, dip a spoonful and put directly into the boiling milk, wait for 
it to boil up, and then add another till you get a proper consistency, boil a 
minute longer, and pour into a tureen or pitcher for the table. 

Gravies.— Gravies may well take the place of butter and syrup when 
griddle cakes are to be eaten, simply by boiling a pint of milk or cream and 
adding a spoonful or two of the batter of which the cakes are made as a 
thickening: a little salt and a very little lump of butter may be added. 
Children are quite as well satisfied with a creamy gravy as with butter. 

Hygienic Breakfast Cakes.— One pint of fresh oatmeal, one quart of 
water, let it stand over night. In the morning add one teaspoonful of fine 



RECIPES. 183 

fialt, one tablespoonful of sugar, and the same of baking powder, and one 
pint of Graham flour. If the above proportions make a batter too stiff 
for griddle cakes, add more water. If gems are preferred instead of cakes, 
the addition of a little more flour is all that is required to produce good 
ones. 

Oatmeal Bread.— To one quart fresh oatmeal add two quarts of water, 
let them stand half a day or over night. When ready to bake, add one 
quart of fine or Graham flour, half a cup of sugar, one teaspoonful of fine 
Bait, two teaspoonsful of best baking powder; mix with a spoon. No 
kneading is required. If too stiff, add water. 

Corn Cakes.— Three cups of corn meal, one cup of Graham flour, two 
teaspoonsful of baking powder sifted together, one cup of cream, and 
half a cup of milk, one egg well beaten ; stir altogether well and quickly; 
heat your gem irons hot ; butter and fill ; bake with a brisk heat. Gem tins 
or forms do not need to be heated before filling; they may be oiled and 
filled on the table, and put into a quick oven . Iron gem pans should be hot. 

Graham Griddle Cakes.— Into one pint of Graham flour and half pint 
Indian meal mix thoroughly two teaspoonsful of baking powder, and half a 
teaspoonful of salt, beat up well one egg and mix with one pint of cold 
water, into which mix thoroughly the flour as prepared, and fry at once. 

Gold Medal Corn Cakes.— Mix two heaping teaspoonsful of baking 
powder and half a teaspoonful of salt thoroughly through one pint of Indian 
meal and half a pint of sifted flour, beat well one egg and mix in one table- 
spoonful of brown sugar, half a pint of milk or cold water, and stir in the 
meal as prepared, to the consistency of a thick batter, steam until half 
done in a three-pint basin, and finish by baking in a hot oven, or drop into 
hot cup or gem pans well buttered, and bake in a hot oven. 

Corn Gems.— Mix two heaping teaspoonsful of baking powder and half a 
teaspoonful of salt thoroughly through one and one half pound of sifted 
Indian meal; stir the meal as prepared slowly into one pint (more or less) 
of sweet milk or cold water, so as to make a very thin batter, place in hot 
gem tins or cups, let them stand five minutes in a warm place and bake in 
a very hot oven. 

Squash Cakes.— Mix Graham flour with half its bulk of stewed squash, 
or pumpkin, and add milk enough to make a thick batter, about a cup of 
milk to each cup of squash. Put in one teaspoonful of baking powder 
mixing it well with the flour. Cook on a griddle. 

Boston Brown Bread.— Take three pints of Indian meal, sifted, and 
one quart of rye meal, sifted. Stir into the corn meal one teaspoonful 
of salt and one teacupful of molasses, and wet it to a batter, as thick as 
that used for griddle cakes, with boiling water; then set it aside to cool. 
Stir one large coffeecupful of sour milk, or buttermilk, into the rye meal, 
add to it one teaspoonful of soda dissolved in two tablespoonful of boil- 
ing water, and boil on the stove for two minutes, or until itisinalight 
froth. 

Mix together the corn and rye meal batter with the hand, beating it well. 
Let Jt stand for fifteen minutes, then turn into an iron bake kettle, and 



184 RECIPES. 

bake for three or four hours. This will make a large loaf of bread, but 
it is better to bake it all in one pan, as a very thick, hard crust forms 
over the whole, and if one likes, it can be partly removed while hot, and 
eaten with milk or cream, for it makes a very palatable dish for breakfast 
or supper. 

We prefer to make brown bread, however, by steaming it in a large tin 
pudding dish for three hours, placing the tin in a kettle of boiling water, 
and not letting it boil over the top of it. Then it is put into the oven for 
another hour; and this way of cooking it will form a crust that is 
easily eaten, and gives the bread a delicious flavor, it will also remain moist 
for several days. When it is two or three days old it is much improved by 
being warmed in the oven or toasted. 

Apple Bread.— Weigh one pound of fresh, juicy apples, peel, core and 
stew them to a pulp, being careful to use a porcelain kettle or a stone jar, 
placed inside an ordinary saucepan of boiling water ; otherwise the fruit 
will become discolored ; mix the pulp with two pounds of the best flour ; 
put in the same quantity of yeast you would use for common bread, and 
as much water as will make it a fine, smooth dough ; put into an iron 
pan, and place in a warm place to rise, and let it remain for twelve hours, 
at least. Form into rather long-shaped loaves, and bake in a quick oven. 

Oatmeal or Scotch. Puff's.— One quart of sweet milk, three well-beaten 
eggs, two and a half cups of oatmeal, one and a half cups of Graham flour, 
and a little salt. Use a medium-sized cup. Heat and dil the gem pans and 
bake in a quick oven. 

Graham Flour Puffs.— One quart of sweet milk, two eggs, flour to make 
a thin batter, fill the gem cups two-thirds full and bake in a quick oven. 

Bread -with Wet Yeast.— For four loaves allow four quarts of flour, 
one large cupful of yeast, one tablespoonful each of salt, sugar and butter, 
and one quart of warm milk or milk and water, mixed. Pour a trifle of 
boiling water into a large breadpan containing the shortening, salt and 
sugar, and add the quart of warm wetting and the yeast. Stir in slowly 
half the flour, heating well to thoroughly incorporate the yeast, cover it 
first with a clean cotton cloth, then a woolen blanket, and set to rise in a 
temperature of about 75°. If it set before bedtime it will be ready to 
mould by seven the next morning. When light enough, stir into the 
sponge most of the remaining flour, and turn out on a well-floured mould- 
ing board. Flour the hands and knead lightly from fifteen minutes to half 
an hour in order to give the bread a fine, even grade. Divide into four 
loanes, put in pans, cover from cool air and draughts, set by the stove and 
let them rise nearly an hour, or till they are double the first size. Bake in 
» an oven warm enough, but not too hot, fifty or sixty miuutes. A brick- 
shaped loaf, baked in tin, is best. Fleischmann's yeast rises so rapidly that 
If set early in the morning it may be baked by noon or a little after.— 
Helen Campbell. 

Whole Wheat Flour Bread.— One quart of flour, one quarter of a 
cake of compressed yeast, one pint of warm water, and half a teaspoon- 
ful of salt for one loaf of bread. Put the flour in the mixing-pan, taking 



RECIPES. 185 

care to have the flour thoroughly warmed first ; next add the dissolved 
yeast, then the salt. Pour in a portion of the water and gradually stir in 
the flour till all is added, with sufficient water to make the whole into a stiff 
batter. Put it to rise over-night in a moderately warm place, and in the 
morning- it will be ready for the oven without further manipulation, other 
than pouring it into the baking-pan. Bake in a fairly hot oven for about 
one hour. When mixed over-night, let it be done as late as possible. In 
making a large batch of bread, one yeast cake is sufficient for eight loaves 
or more. This will answer for Graham flour or white flour bread equally 
well— Mrs. Jones. 

Boston Brown Bread.— No. 2.— Sift together half a pound eaoh of rye 
and wheat flour, one pound of corn meal, one heaping teaspoonful of salt, 
a heaping tablespoonful of brown sugar, and one of baking powder. 
Wash, peel and boil two medium sized potatoes, rub them through a sieve, 
thin the potato with nearly a pint of water, and use this to make the bat- 
tfr. Pour it into well-oiled molds that have tight covers, set them in hot 
water to within two inches of the top of the molds and let them simmer 
one hour. Then take out of the water, remove the cover and place them 
in the oven thirty minutes.— C. 

Boston Brown Bread, St* amed.— Prepared in this way it is a very 
good breakfast dish. Cut the slices an inch thick, and let them stand over 
night to dry slightly. In the morning put them in the steamer, which place 
in a pot of fast boiling water for twenty minutes. Butter them when taken 
out, and serve with a poached egg or not, as desired. 

Corn Meal Cake.— Sift one pound of corn meal, add a scant teaspoon- 
ful of salt and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Beat up three eggs, 
add to them a pint of milk, stir into the meal, add one gill of molasses, 
flavor with ground cinnamon, oil the baking tins, half fill them with batter 
and bake till well done.— C. 

Graham Muffins.— Sift one quart of Graham flour, half a teaspoonful 
of salt and a heaping tablespoonful of best baking powder, add two ounces 
of cream and two eggs, beaten, and milk enough to make a thin batter ; 
mix. Half fill the muffin rings and bake in a quick oven. 

Shredded oats, used in place of Graham flour, will also give excellent 
muffins- C. 

Corn Bread.-— Sift half a pound each of corn meal and best gluten flour, 
add a scant teaspoonful of salt and a scant tablespoonful of best baking 
powder. Beat together one ounce of powdered sugar, two eggs, and one 
ounce of butter, and add to the flour; use nearly a pint of milk to make a 
thin batter, and bake in a hot oven till thoroughly done. Corn bread even 
slightly underdone is not wholesome.— C. 

Hoe Cakes.— Stir into a pint of boiling milk a teaspoonful of salt, half a 
pint of corn meal and a teaspoonful of molasses; mix. Pour it on a hot 
tin and bake before the fire. Sugar may be used if preferred, and eggs are 
sometimes added, but it will not then be a true hoe cake.— C. 



186 RECIPES. 

Glutena Gems.— To half a pint of glutena add half a teaspoonful of salt 
a tablespoonf ul of sugar and half a pint of flour, and mix well. Beat to- 
gether two eggs and a pint of milk, add to the flour and mix quickly. 
Lastly, add a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, pour the mixture into 
hot, greased gem pans and bake half an hour.— C. 

Maize Muffins.— Mix together one pint of hot milk, one pound of maize, 
one teaspoonful of salt, and one ounce of butter; let it cool, then acd 
three whisked eggs, one ounce of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of baking pow- 
der, mix thoroughly, half fill the muffin rings and bake in a hot oven.— C. 

Corn Bread.— Mix one pint of corn meal, half a pint of best Graham 
flour, half a teaspoonful of salt and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. 
Beat np one egg^ one teaspoonful of sugar and a half pint of milk ; add 
these to the flour and meal. Mix the batter well, pour it into deep pie tins, 
and bake till done.— C. 

Potato Biscuit.— Select six long, smooth skinned potatoes and bake 
them ; when done, scoop out the inside of eaGh and rub it through a sieve 
to have it perfectly free from lumps, add to it the yolks of six eggs, well 
beaten, the grated peel of one lemon, and a quarter of a pound of sugar. 
Beat the mixture until quite light. Beat the whites of the eggs to a firm 
froth, and whisk into the paste, half fill oiled small paper cases with it and 
bake in a moderate oven twenty minutes.— C- 

Boston Brown Bread Butter Cakes.— When this bread has been cut 
off and its drying prevents its being acceptable at the table, put the slices in 
the oven and dry them out moderately well, then grate them, and to each 
pint of their crumbs add a pint of hot milk and an ounce of butter; let 
the mixture stand until cool and rub through a coarse sieve. Beat three 
eggs well and add a scant teaspoonful of salt and half a pint of flour. 
Work the mixture thoroughly, and if not thin enough to pour from the 
lipped bowl, add a little more milk. Finally, add a scant tablespoonful of 
baking powder, beat and cook on a well-greased griddle.— C. 

Hominy or Rice Griddle Cakes.— To a cupful of rice or hominy boiled 
soft, beat in while warm, a tablespoonful of butter When cool, mix with 
two eggs, one cupful of milk, one half a teaspoonfui of salt and flour 
enough to make a thin batter, or use one egg and make a stiff er batter. 
It may be baked either as griddle cakes or waffles. 

Rice Waffles.-Rub through a sieve one pint of warm, boiled rice, add 
to it a tablespoonful of dry flour, two-thirds of a teaspoonfui of sau 
and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Beat separately the yolks and 
whites of three eggs; add to the yolks three gnls of milk work^t into the 
flour, then add an ounce of melted butter : beat the whites ot the egg3 
thoroughly, mix the whoie together Heat the waffle iron and oi: it even- 
ly, pour the batter into the half of the iron over the range until nearly 
two-thirds full, cover, aiiow to cook a moment, then turn and brown 
slightly on the other side.- C. 

Green Corn Fritters.— Cut through the center of each row of kernels, 
then press out the center pulp with the back of the knife. Beat two eggs 



.RECIPES. 187 

thoroughly, and add to them a heaping" saltspoonful of salt, a pinch of 
cayenne, one pint of corn pulp, and flour enough to make a moderately 
stiff batter. Drop the batter in smoking hot oil by tablespoonfuls, and 
brown them evenly. 

Oat Flake Griddle Cakes.-One pint of oat flakes, a teaspoonful of 
salt, an ounce of melted butter, two eggs well beaten, a scant pint of milk 
mix well and stir in a tablespoonful of flour. When the griddle is hot 
oil it slightly; pour from a large spoon on the griddle; continue until 
the griddle is covered with small cakes, then turn the first one, and so on 
until all are done. 

Apple Fritters.— Peel, core and slice four large apples; dip the slices 
into a batter of eggs, flour and milk, and fry in hot oil, 

Indian Griddles.— Two cups of meal, one of flour, one of milk, one of 
water, one egg well beaten, two teaspoonfuls of cream yeast, sifted into 
the meal and flour. Mix and bake on hot griddles. 

Graham Gems.— You are supposed to have the baking irons or "set- 
ting" for these gems, else no success can be obtained. They are to be 
bought of hardware dealers ; at least no kitchen is furnished without them. 
These gems are displacing all other kinds of coarse bread on ourtable- 
They can be eaten with butter or without butter, hot or cold, morning, 
noon and night. They are as handy as crackers; are just what you want 
for children's lunch, and to fill in when you are making up a picnic bssket. 
They are not only hygienic, but are good in the mouth. They have an 
almond-like sweetness, and their fiber is like that of nut-meats, giving the 
teeth just the exercise they need. No taste of " emptyings." But to our 
receipt, which will not be half as long as this preamble. Put the irons in 
the oven, where they will get hot by the time you have mixed the gems. 
Then take milk and water, half and half, and stir in Graham flour, No. 1, 
till you have a batter that will " drop from the spoon and not run." Stir 
very thoroughly, the more the better. Drop into the hot irons and bake 
immediately. If you are quick you can take the irons out of the oven for 
better convenience in filling. The oven is the main point. It should have a 
solid heat, and bake as fast as it can and not burn. " If at first you don't 
succeed, try, try again." Make the batter a little thicker or thinner, the 
oven a little slower or quicker (quicker more likely). There is a way, and 
you will find it, and then be able to repeat your success as often as you 
wish. 

Wheat Meal Unleavened Cakes (Gems). — To one quart of soft, cold 
water, add, by degrees, three pints of coarsely-ground wheat meal. Stir 
rapidly, with a large spoon, three or four minutes, so as to incorporate a 
large amount of atmosphere. Dip out into iron baking molds, which have 
been heated hot and oiled. Bake immediately in an oven as hot as it can 
be and not burn, for twenty or twenty-five minutes. Diminish the heat 
after fifteen minutes. Iron molds are better than tin. The small size, 
about three inches in length, and one and a half in width, is better than 
the larger sizes. The proportions of water and meal in this formula are 



188 RECIPES. 

for white wheat. For red wheat a little more meal is necessary. One-sixth 
corn meal is an improvement, in which case it needs a heaping measure of 
meal to the water. 

Oatmeal and Graham Gems.— Mix equal parts of fine Irish oatmeal 
and Graham flour into a thick batter with jnilk and water in equal parts, 
fill hot gem irons and bake with a brisk heat. Very sweet and tender. 

"Wheat Meal Rolls.— Pour boiling water on unbolted wheat meal, 
stirring rapidly wilh a strong spoon or stick. The dough should be scarcely 
stiff enough to retain its shape. Of this take portions about the size of a 
hen's egg, and roll it into a round form three or four inches in length; a 
plenty of flour to prevent sticking. Bake at once. The coating of floui 
prevents the escape of air from the dough, as the sudden heat of baking 
expands it, thus making the rolls so much lighter. Let them bake in a very 
hot oven. 

Snow Cakes or Bread.— First cool a wooden bowl, in this put the de- 
sired quantity of corn or unbolted wheat meal, mix with this twice or 
three times as much clean snow. It now appears like dry meal. Put^some 
on a hot griddle ; if too dry so turn well add more snow^ if too wet to be 
light add more meal; when just right bake the same as batter cakes, or put 
it in a pan, about two inches deep— rounding it from the edge— and bake 
in a quick oven twenty minutes. 

Corn Cakes.— Pour hot water on corn meal to make a stiff batter, and 
let it stand over night. In the morning add milk to thin it, then stir in 
Graham flour, in which is a little baking powder, until it is the right con- 
sistence for baking. Bake in gem pans, and they will be light and nice, 
with half the usual quantity of yeast powder. 

Corn Meal Breakfast Cakes.— For two baking tins take one and a half 
pints of coarsely-ground corn meal; add water almost boiling, but not 
enough to wet quite all the corn meal; add cold water, a little at a time, 
stirring thoroughly between whiles, until you have it so thin that it has 
a tendency to settle as you pour it into your pie tins. It should not be 
more than half an inch deep in the tins, and it should bake quickly in 
a hot oven. 

Corn Cake, with Fruit*— Pour one quart of boiling water on one 
quart of corn meal, and stir quickly. Wet the hands, and form the dough 
into small round cakes one-half an inch thick. Bake in a hot oven. The 
addition of a few raspberries, huckleberries, or any other sub-acid fruit 
is a decided improvement. Sweet apples, chopped line, are also excellent. 

Corn and Rye Biscuits. -Pour boiling water on coarse yellow ccrn 
meal, and stir to the consistency of a thick batter. Immediately ad^ 
coarse rye meal to make into a very soft dough; form into small, flat 
biscuits (fifteen to a baking-pan) with the hands frequently wet in cold 
water, and bake immediately in a hot oven. They are very nice foi 
variety, and are best made of equal parts of corn and rye. Bake thirty 
minutes or more. 



RECIPES. 189 

Wheat Meal Crisps.— Wet unbolted wheat meal with boiling water, 
and form a stiff dough. Oil or sprinkle flour on a nice sheet of iron - 
the bottom of a smooth sheet iron pan would answer— on this roll out the 
dough as thin as possible, mark into convenient squares, and bake in a 
slow oven. When rightly baked they will not curl or blister. Invalids 
with the poorest teeth, whose state of health may require dry food, can 
eat them. 

Wneat Meal Biscuits.— Pour boiling soft water upon coarse wheat- 
meal, stir with a spoon to a dough as soft as it can be managed, by the 
exercise of skill, upon a molding board. Roll to an inch in thickness, cut 
with a biscuit cutter, prick and bake immediately in an oven hotter than 
is necessary for the two preceding. It will take half an hour to bake. If 
made of red wheat it must be stiff er and be baked longer. 

Good Unleavened Bread.— Take half the loaves you intend using, and 
pour on boiling milk (be sure it boils); have it about the consistency of 
batter that you would have for making pancakes; let this stand till cool 
enough to work; then knead in the rest of your flour, just sufficiently 
stiff to mold on a board. One hour in a middling hot oven is sufficient for 
baking. 

Dr. Jenkin'a Graham Crackers.— Procure the whitest and cleanest 
wheat (Minnesota is best), have the crackers made by a baker. Mix with 
nothing but pur.^, soft water, and thoroughly reduce the mass in a 
baker's break, as for making other crackers. Have them rolled very 
thin, no more than half as thick as soda crackers, cut in the form and the 
size of soda crackers, and bake quickly until a pale yellow. These will 
keep six months if placed in a dry, cool, sweet store room. They are 
fresher and more tender to place them in a hot oven a few minutes before 
bringing them to the table. 

Graham Crackers.— Wet the best Graham flour with cold milk, adding 
about a fifth proportion of thick cream, or a little butter if cream is not 
to be had. Mix as soft as can be handled ; knead very thoroughly, say 
fifteen or twenty minutes ; roll thin ; cut in three-inch square cards ; lay 
so they will not touch each other, on a hot sheet-iron pan, and bake 
quickly, say ten to fifteen or twenty minutes, according to thickness. 
Handle carefully while hot, and pack away, when cold, in tin cans or stone 
jars in a cool, dry place. 

Apple-Corn Pone.— Pare and chop fine a quart of sweet apples. Scald 
a quart of corn meal with a pint of boiling water; add new milk enough 
to make a stiff batter, then stirln the apples. Rake slowly in a close vessel 
three hours. Butter the dish well. This is very nice, boiled tlie same 
length of time in a pudding-mold or bag; but it is never so good as when 
baked in an old-fashioned kettle with a close-fittirg lid, with live coals 
from the fire heaped on top and under the kettle. The thick brown crusts 
are delicious, with cream or milk. 

Steamed Brown Bread.— One quart of rye meal, one pint of Indian 
meal, one cup of molasses, one teaspoonfui of sifted cream yeast stirred in 



190 RECIPES. 

the molasses, a little salt. Stir soft with cold water, steam three hours, 
and dry off in the oven fifteen minutes. 

Brown Bread.— The sweetest bread ever made.— Take three pints of 
coarse yellow corn meal, scald it with three pints and a half of boiling 
water, add two pints of coarse rye meal after the corn has cooled. Knead 
thoroughly with the hands. Take it out into a stoneware crock, or pot, 
which is a little larger at the top. The quantity here given will take a 
vessel which holds five or six quarts. Place it immediately in the oven aCter 
smoothing over the top with a spoon frequently dipped in cold water. 
Cover with a stone or iron plate, and have but little heat in the oven. It 
should take three hours to begin to bake, then bake slowly four hours. 
Leave the loaf in until the oven cools off, if it is several hours longer. It 
should be dark colored, light and firm, with a good soft crust. A round- 
bottomed iron kettle will do to bake it in. 

Yankee Brown Bread.— Take equal quantities of rye and corn meal, 
and mix with water, making a dough that can be kneaded. Work with the 
hands until it loses its stickiness, and will readily cleave from the fingers. 
Let it stand several hours, or over night, and bake in loaves, in covered 
dishes, in a moderate oven, from three to five hours. Or, it- may be 
steamed three hours, and baked one. Coarsely ground meal is better than 
fine for this kind of bread. 

Apple Brown Bread.— Work equal parts of corn and rye meal into 
stewed apples until the entire mass is thoroughly mixed, and bake as 
above. Or, thin with water to a batter, and bake on a griddle. 

How to Make Oatmeal Calces.— The Rural Cyclopedia gives the fol- 
owing recipe for making oatmeal cakes. Well made they are delicious. 

"As much meal as will make a sheet twenty-four or thirty inches in 
diameter and one-eighth of an inch in thickness, is put into a wooden 
ba3in, with a sufticiency of water for working the meal into a light paste. 
The meal and water are mixed by the fingers of the right hand, while the 
basin is turned constantly round by the left hand, till the paste is made ; 
the paste is then turned out on a clean board or table, and alternately 
kneaded with the knuckles of both hands, sprinkled with meal, gathered 
up, kneaded and sprinkled, and kneaded again and again, till it becomes a 
well kneaded and homogeneous dough; the dough is then flattened out 
with the knuckles into a circular cake of half an inch, o: less, in thickness, 
and immediately afterward distended with a roller into a sheet of about 
one-eighth of an inch in thickness; and the sheet is then pared round the 
edges and cut into three or four parts from the center, with a knife. The 
parts of the cut sheets of dough are fired, or half baked, first on the one 
side and then upon the other, upon a thin circular plate of iron, called a 
griddle or girdle; and then they are toasted, or whole baked, by being 
placed on their edge on a toaster close before the fire, with first the ono 
side and then the other exposed to the heat. Butter is sometimes mixed 
with the paste to render the cakes 'fresh' and highly relishpble, and 
occasionally a few caraway seeds are also added, but in the estimation 
of racy, unsophisticated cake-eaters, all such admixtures are abomi- 
nations." 



RECIPES. 191 

A Scotchman, in reference to these cakes and oatmeal generally, says : 

" The favorite accompaniment to this is sweet milk, dipped with the 
spoon, (which has previously been taken up and contains a portion of the 
porridge) out of a separate dish from the porridge." 

Oatmeal Breakfast Cakes.— This is made of No. 2 oatmeal, with water 
enough to saturate it, and little or no salt. Pour it into a baking tin 
half an inch or three quarters deep, shake it down level, and when this is 
done it should be so wet that two or three spoonsful of water will run 
f roely on the surface. Put it in a quick oven and bake twenty minutes. 
E it warm. It will be as light and tender as the best 4 * Johnnie cake," or 
else you have wet it too much or baked it too long. This is one of the 
most accommodating baked dishes that can be made. It will do very 
nicely with a little longer time if the oven is not quite hot. If it will not 
bake there at all, pour it into a f ryingpan, cover it close and set it on the 
top of the stove, where it will even bake in fifteen minutes. 

For a hurried breakfast and a slow coal fire it is invaluable. Scarcely 
any wholesome thing in the whole bread line can be prepared more readi- 
ly. It can be made still thinner and baked quicker. It is good either criep 
or moist. For emergencies alone every housekeeper will fiad it convenient 
to be able to make this breakfast cake. Many use oatmeal mixed with 
buckwheat, wheat or corn for griddle cakes. For this use I prefer it 
cooked first. Take, say half a pint of the porridge or the mush, diffuse 
it in one quart of water, and add the wheat meal, sifting it in and stirring 
slowly. 

Oatmeal Cake.— Take one pint of oatmeal, and just enough warm 
water to stir up a batter like griddle cakes. Pour it into a shallow baking 
pan, and bake for twenty minutes in a hot oven. Or, if preferred, bake it 
in small cakes on the griddle, first putting in a handful of wheat flour and 
a little more water. The cold porridge will also make delicious griddle 
cakes. 

Oatmeal Cracknels.— Take the finest quality of oatmeal, and stir in 
barley water enough to wet it through ; let it stand twenty minutes to 
swell, then roll it out to a quarter of an inch in thickness, first flouring 
the board and rolling pin with wheat flour. Cut it with a biscuit cutter 
and bake in a moderately hot oven, as these cakes will burn quickly, and 
only require to be of the slightest brown. They will snap easily between 
the fingers, and are delicious, requiring no butter to make them palatable. 
If put into a close jar they will keep for several months. In the Highlands 
of Scotland they preserve their cracknels, or bannocks, as they call them, 
in the barrels of oatmeal for a year or more. 

Another way to make cracknels, is to mix oatmeal to a stiff batter with 
cold water, and let it stand several hours. Or mix with sweet milk and let 
it stand until it swells (do not let it sour), then pour it into baking pans and 
bake twenty minutes. They should be one-fourth of an inch thick, and a 
light brown color when done. 

Oatmeal and Cocoanut Cracknels. — Oatmeal mixed with grated 
cocoanut produces a very attractive cake to both old and young, Take 



ik 



192 KECIPES. 



three heaping tablespoonf uls of grated cocoanut, or two of the prepared 
u dessicated " cocoanut ; add to it half a pint of the finest oatmeal aad two 
heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar; stir it into one gill of boiling water, and 
mix it thoroughly together; turn out on the rolling board, well floured, 
and roll it as thin and cut out as for common cracknels, put a bit of citron 
and half a dozen currants into each cake, sticking them into the dough. 
Bake in a slow oven and watch carefully lest they brown a shade too deep. 
To make them crispy let them stand a day or two in an uncovered dish. 
A very palatable pie crust can be made from the dough of oatmeal crack- 
nels by wetting it a little thinner; or in preparing it, add just haif the 
measure of meal in hot water. Add no butter or lard, simply a little salt ; 
roll out thin, and make the pie of cooked fruits, as this kind of paste bakes 
very quickly, and if the fruit requires cooking it would become too hard 
and brown. Most persons who eschew all kinds of pies can eat those made 
of oatmeal without fear or trembling, and they will soon learn to consider 
oatmeal an invaluable addition to their tables. 

Hominy with Cream.— Wash the hominy thoroughly in one or two 
waters, then cover it with twice its depth of cold water, and let it come to 
a boil slowly. It it be the large or coarse hominy, simmer six hours ; if it 
be the small hominy simmer two hours. When the water evaporates, add 
hot water ; when done it may be eaten with cream or allowed to become 
cold and warmed up in the frying pan, using a little oil to prevent burning. 
-C. 



TOASTS. 

Creain Toast,— Boil a pint and a half of cream or new milk and thicken 
with a tablespoonf ul of flour or corn starch, add a little salt. Toast slices 
of stale bread quickly, of an even brown on both sides, lay them in the 
toast dish and dip over them a plentiful supply of the hot thickened cream ; 
add another layer of toast and then more cream. 

Another Way.— Cut smooth slices of stale bread less than half an inch 
thick, toast a delicate brown, put the plate into the oven and heat it quite 
warm, lay the toast into the plate and pour over it cold, sweet cream, and 
the toast is ready to be eaten. For invalids and children with dainty 
appetites, this is very nice and easily digested. Some light fruit jelly will 
add to the relish and it will still be wholesome. 

Wtieatena Toast.— This is a most excellent preparation of wheat, as it 
can be used in a variety of forms. Made into a porridge the night before, 
and when cold cut in slices and toasted, then buttered, it is a very good 
"breakfast dish.— C. 

Egg Toast.— Break the eggs carefully into water boiling hot, but not 
really boiling. Let tbem simmer till they are delicately cooked or till the 
yolks are covered with a white film, then take up with a skimmer and lay 
on slices of buttered or cream toast. Salt the water in which the eggs are 
"boiled, and see that it covers the eggs. Butter and pepper may be added 
on the table, 



RECIPES. 193 

Toasted Oatmeal Crack:er3.— These crackers may be purchased from 
the grocer. There are two varieties, the American and the imported Scotch; 
The latter have a peculiarly strong oat flavor, appreciated by some and 
disliked by others. They should be slowly toasted and immediately but- 
tered with the nicest of fresh butter. They are most acceptable to those 
who dislike hot or fresh bread-— C. 

Onion Toast.— Boil some onions of moderate size; change the water 
twice in boiling ; salt in the last water. When nicely done take out with a 
skimmer. Make a gravy such as you make for cream toast. Tcast slices of 
bread, lay them in a dish, put the onions on the slices, one on a slice, and 
pour the gravy over both. 

Note— The onions will cook in half the time if you cut them into three 
or four slices before you put them into the water. 

Oatmeal Toast.— Prepare the oatmeal the night before it is wanted, as 
previously given, and keep it on ice overnight; next morning cut it in 
slices, and place them between the wire broiler, which should be previously 
rubbed with butter to prevent sticking. When nicely toasted on both 
sides, rub a little butter over the slices and serve-— C. 

Riee Toast with Poached Eggs.— Boil the rice the night before it is 
to be used ; put it in a bread-loaf pan and keep on ice ; the next morning 
cut it in slices, brush a little melted butter over the broiler and the sliced 
rice and broil, or rather toast before the fire. When done butter the slices, 
place on each a poached egg^ and serve.— C. 



OMELETS, ETC. 

It is better to make two or three small omelets, than one very large one. 
Break the eggs separately; put them into a bowl and whisk them thor- 
oughly with a fork. The longer they are beaten the lighter will the omelet 
be. Beat up a teaspoonf ul of milk with the eggs and continue to beat until 
the last moment before pouring into the pan, which should be over a hot 
fire. As soon as the omelet sets, remove the pan from the hottest part of 
the fire. Slip a knife under it to prevent sticking to the pan. When the 
center is almost firm slant the pan, work the omelet in shape to fold easily 
and neatly, and when slightly browned hold a platter against the edge of 
the pan and deftly turn it out on to the hot dish. Salt mixed with the eggs 
prevents them from rising, and when it is so used the omelet will look 
flabby, yet without salt it will taste insipid. Add the salt just before fold- 
ing- and turning on a dish.— C. 

Asparagus Omelet.— Boil six stalks of asparagus, drain and cut them 
into short pieces. Dissolve half a teaspoonful of flour in a little cold 
water. Add an ounce of cream, whisk the flour into it ; when smooth add 
salt and the asparagus. Break four eggs, beat them up with a tablespoon- 
ful of milk and turn them into a hot omelet pan. Before completing the 
fold add asparagus, turn it deftly out on a hot dish and serve.— C. 



194 ItECIPES. 

Poached Eggs.— Fill a shallow saucepan or spider nearly full of salted 
water and when it comes to a boll slip in the eggs, which have been first 
carefully broken into cups, so that the yolks remain whole. When the 
whites have become firm take up with a skimmer and serve on a hot 
platter with a bit of butt?r on each egg. Poached eggs, each on a separate 
slice of toast, make an excellent breakfast dish. 

Eggs and Tomatoes.— To half a can of tomatoes* steamed and mashed 
smooth, allow four or ffve egz* ^hich are poached as above. When they 
are sufficiently cooked dish the tomatoes upon previously prepared slices of 
toast, with one egg upon each slice. If the eggs, break in the transfer there 
will be no harm. 

Dropped Eggs.— Have ready a saucepan of boiling water. Drop fresh 
eggs carefully into the water so as not to break the yolks. Let them stand 
where they will keep hot, but not boil, until the white sets. Toast slices of 
bread and lay in a dish, and pour over it a gill of hot cream with a little 
salt; then take out the eggs with an egg-slice or tablespoon, and put on 
to the bread with parsley, if you like. 

Baked Onielet.— Boil half a pint of cream, or rich milk ; beat six eggs 
thoroughly— they will be nicer if the whites and yolks are beaten sep- 
arately; have a deep dish hot and buttered carefully ; stir the beaten eggs, 
with a little salt, into the cream ; put all quickly into the dish, and bake 
from five to ten minutes, depending upon the condition of the oven. It 
should be slightly browned, and taken directly to the table in the dish. 

Scrambled Eggs.— Have a spider hot and buttered. Break as many 
eggs as you wish to cook into a dish, being careful not to break the yolks. 
Slip the eggs into the spider, sprinkle over a very little salt, and add a lump 
of butter the size of a nutmeg for half a dozen eggs, or three tablespoonfuls 
of rich cream. When the eggs begin to whiten, stir them carefully from 
the bottom, until cooked to suit. The yolks and whites should separate, 
though stirred together. Care should be taken not to have the spider too 
hot. 

Baked Eggs.— Take a common white dish with a smooth bottom, and 
large enough to hold tha eggs you wish to cook; do not crowd them. Set 
the dish into the oven till quite hot, then butter it ; have the eggs broken, 
and slip them carefully into the dish ; sprinkle a little salt over them, and 
put directly into a quick oven and bake three to five minutes. Butter and 
pepper may be added, if desired, when they are cooked. A tablespoon ful 
of cream to two eggs, when they are first set to bake, is nice. Each egg 
may be dropped into a buttered muffin or gem tin and cooked separately. 



PREPARATIONS OK CHEESE. 

Clieese and Bread Toast.— Grate half a oup of good cheese— use your 
crumbs and dry pieces— mix with it one cup of grated bread and the yolk or 
one egg, half a spoonful of butter, and three spoonfuls of rich cream. Add 
a salt spoonful of salt, and a sprinkle of cayenne and mustard if desired. 



. RECIPES. 195 

Toast two or three slices of bread, spread the cheese mixture on quite 
thick, put into the oven a minute or two, and send to the table hot. Or lay 
on a top slice, and make a sandwich. Take a sharp knife and cut into four 
pieces, 

Cottage Cheese.— This is a farmer's dish, but should and would be 
eaten and appreciated by all classes if they knew how wholesome and 
and digestible it is. Those who have plenty of milk and make butter, have 
an abundance of sour or clabbered milk daily, clean and fresh. Skim the 
cream off for the churn, and set a gallon or two of the milk on the stove in 
a milk pan, and let it gradually warm till it is lukewarm all through. Stir it 
occasionally to prevent its hardening at the bottom, and when it is a little 
warmer than new milk, and when the whey begins to show clear around 
the curd, pour it all into a coarse thin bag, tie close, and hang up to drain. 
Let it hang two or three hours in a cool, shady place, then take from the 
bag and put in a covered dish and set away from the heat. When preparing 
the rest of a meal, mix with the curd rich sweet cream, sugar and nutmeg. 
Some prefer salt and pepper, but the sugar gives it the place of fruits or 
acids. This preparation of milk will often be found most salutary and 
wholesome for dyspeptics and weak or delicate stomachs. The clabber is 
also very nutritious and easily digested. 



SANDWICHES. 

Sandwiches are very useful to put in your bag or your pocket when you 
are not likely to be able to procure your usual meal. 

Cheese Sandwiches.— Take two-thirds of good cheese, grated, and one- 
third of butter ; add a little cream ; pound all together in a mortar ; then 
spread it on slices of brown bread or gems; lay another slice over each; 
press them gently together, and cut in small square pieces. 

Egg Sandwiches.— Boil fresh eggs five minutes; put them in cold 
water, and when quite cold peel them, and after taking a little of the white 
off each end of the eggs, cut the remainder in four slices. Lay them 
between brown bread and butter. 

Omelet Sandwiches.— Take four eggs, two tablespoonfuls of bread 
crumbs, and one half ounce of chopped parsley. After beating the eggs 
well, add the bread crumbs, then the parsley, and two tablespoonfuls 
of water. Season, and fry it in small fritters, and when cold put them 
between brown bread and butter. 



VEGETABLES. 

All green vegetables should be as fresh as possihle. Put them into cold 
water with some salt in it, for about ten minutes, to clear from soil or 
insects. If not quite fresh, let them remain in the water some time longer; 



196 RECIPES. 



drain in a colander, and put them into a pan with plenty of boiling- water 
adding" salt, and a small piece of soda; cover the pan till boiling, but not 
afterward ; then boil quickly, and carefully remove any scum which may 
rise. Do not allow them to remain in the water after they are done, but 
immediately drain them in a colander, and finish each kind, as directed in 
recipes. Peas and spinach do not require so much water as most other 
green vegetables, but only just sufficient to cover them. Cauliflowers and 
brocoli require especial care in boiling, as the flower is easily broken and 
its appearance spoiled; boil them quickly for a few minutes, and then 
moderately till tender, which may be easily ascertained by trying the stem 
with a fork. All vessels used in cooking vegetables should be particularly 
clean. Soft is preferable to hard water in cooking all kinds of vegetables. 
Potatoes are in universal use, and yet how few know how to cook them 
well. "A well-boiled potato is a thing purely ideal— it has never come out 
of the pot, in the experience of living man. " This is too strong ; but there 
is very much room for, and need of, improvement in the science of cooking a 
potato- To do it well, the matter must he studied, and not performed by 
routine. They diifer very much, even those grown in the same field and 
from the same seed. A good potato, well cooked and served up, is a lux- 
ury, which, unfortunately, few people know how to secure, or will not 
give themselves the trouble to do. 

Potatoes.— Those grown on virgin soil, of a middle size, and floury, are 
to be preferred. They ought to be as nearly as possible of one size, well 
washed, but not pared. They should be put into a vessel of cold water for 
an hour, then put into fresh water, and boiled in a kettle or saucepan, 
closely covered, in the most expeditious manner possible; or they should 
be steamed, which would be still better. If boiled, no more water should 
be used than merely to cover them, as they produce a considerable quantity 
of fluid. When they are done, the water should be instantly poured off, and 
the kettle containing the cooked potatoes be placed on the side of the fire 
with a cover on, and a cloth over them, until the steam is absorbed, and 
they are quite dry and mealy before being sent to the table. 

Baited Potatoes.— Have a hot baking oven, select and wash potatoes of 
uniform size, and put them moist into a clean oven. Do not open the oven 
if you can avoid it for half an hour ; try if they are done in a towel. Eat 
them hot. Baked potatoes are preferable to all others, because the starch 
in them is partly converted into dextrine and easily digested. 

Potato Balls.— (For Breakfast).— Boil and mash a double quantity of po- 
tatoes for dinner, season with sweet cream and a little salt; work in two 
fresh eggs to a quart. Mold into little balls, prick the tops, and lay away in 
the cold on a plate. In the morning put on baking pan and set in the- 
oven until done to a delicate brown, which requires fifteen or twenty 
minutes. 

Mashed Potatoes should be left in the kettle after draining and drying 
as aLove, and mashed thoroughly over the tire ; add a little milk or cream, 
and they will be light as a sponge and white as flour. Never put butter 
into them. They may be beaten light with a fork, piled lightly in a vege- 



BECIPES. 107 

table dish and browned in the oven. The escaping 1 steam makes them light 
and feathery. 

Potatoes witli Cream.— The mistake usually made in preparing this 
excellent dish is, that many economical housewives use cold boiled pota- 
toes, left from the preceding day. True economy would have been in boil- 
ing: just enough for each meal, but for potatoes with cream, see to it that 
they are boiled, and afterwards cut up while warm, and seasoned. Boil 
half a pint of cream, add to it a walnut of butter, and add the potatoes to 
it. If milk is used, it may be thickened a little with flour.— C. 

Hasli Cream Potatoes. — Cut up three hot boiled potatoes in small dice, 
add to them half a pint of boiled cream, and a little salt. Put it in a small 
deep dish or pan, cover with bread crumbs or grated cheese, add a pat of 
butter to the latter, and bake to a light brown.— C. 

Potatoes an GJ-ratm.— Cut up two warm boiled potatoes, put them in a 
small round tin, and add cream enough to cover them, half an ounce of 
butter, salt, and sprinkle over them a thin layer of bread crumbs, and over 
this a liberal quantity of Parmesan cheese ; place a walnut of butter on top 
and bake to a nice brown color. 

Scalloped Potatoes.— Butter a two-quart yellow or white pudding dish 
in which the potatoes are to be served. Half a dozen large potatoes, pared 
and soaked in cold water for two hours are then sliced very thin and laid 
fiat on the bottom of the dish. Moisten with a little rich, new milk, or milk 
and cream, melted butter, and sprinkle with a tr'fle of salt. Fill up the dish 
with slices in the same way, taking care to have enough milk to allow for 
cooking away. Cover with a baking tin, and set in a moderate oven one 
hour and a half before dinner. Look at them occasionally, and if they seem 
too dry, turn in a cupful of hot milk which has been kept on the stove for 
this purpose. Half an hour before dinner, remove cover and brown. This 
preparation makes a rich, creamy dish, which is just as good warmed over 
as when first cooked. 

Steam Squash.— Squash cooked in a steamer over a little water is much 
nicer than when boiled. I never boil squash. It may be cut in large 
pieces and cooked in a kettle with a small steamer in the bottom and half a 
pint of water ; fill the kettle with squash and keep closely covered till well 
cooked, taking care not to let it burn. A very hot fire is not so good for 
cooking as a slow, moderate heat. May be placed on the table warm or 
cold, mashed or not, as preferred. 

Many kinds of squash, especially late and winter squashes, are better 
baked than any other way— they are quite equal to sweet potatoes when 
baked in a close kettle so as to partly steam them. Cut or break in slices 
three-quarters of an inch thick. 

Raw Tomatoes.— The simplest and one of the most wholesome modes of 
of preparing tomatoes is to remove the skins by scalding, cut them in 
and season to the taste. To our taste powdered loaf sugar makes the 
best seasoning. The tomatoes should t>e solid, like the Trophy, and per- 
fectly ripe. As a substitute for fruit, they answer a good purpose. 



19S RECIPES. 



Stewed Tomatoes.— Let the tomatoes be well ripened, scald them and 
remove the skins, cut into small pieces, put into a saucepan, with a little 
salt and butter, and cook till well done, but no longer. Pepper may be 
added, if agreeable. As a substitute for fruit, omit the pepper and sweeten. 

Tomatoes au Gratin.— Scald, peel and slice three large, ripe tomatoes; 
put into an oval two-quart tin a layer of the slices ; strew over these a 
layer of brown bread crumbs, add a pat of butter ; salt and pepper to taste, 
add another layer of sliced tomatoes, and so on until the tomatoes are used. 
Cover the top layer with a liberal amount of grated cheese, pour on a pint 
of hot water, and bake fifteen minutes. If too dry when done, add a little 
more water.— C. 

Broiled Tomatoes.— Select three large, fine tomatoes; split each in half; 
strew a little gem rusk crumbs over the cut part, brush a little butter over 
all, broil over a slow fire and serve with melted butter, salt, and a trifle 
only of pepper.— C. 

Note.— This manner of preparing tomatoes is indeed excellent. Toast 
slices of bread nice and brown, butter them a little, and lay on them the 
tomatoes ; put a teacupful of cream into the dish around them, and set in 
the oven a few minutes before taking to the table. 

Tomatoes should be sliced and boiled in their own juice without water. 
They should boil briskly. Twenty minutes suffices for a quart. If boiled 
much longer it injures their peculiar flavor. Season when ready to take up. 

Baked Tomatoes.— One quart of fresh, round tomatoes. Scald and peel 
carefully, so as not to break the tomato ; put in a deep dish, and season 
with a little salt and cayenne. Roll a teacupful of crackers and spread over 
the top ; cover lightly and bake in a quick oven half or three-quarters of 
an hour. Two or three lumps of butter, the size of a Lima bean, may be 
dropped into the dish just before dishing up. Slip them out carefully, the 
brown side up, or leave them in the baking dish . Large tomatoes may be 
stuffed with equal quantities of their pulp mixed with cracker crumbs. 
Bake, and serve hot. 

Scalloped Tomatoes.— Peel as many large, ripe, tomatoes as you wish 
to prepare ; cut them into slices a quai ter of an inch thick. Pack in a pud- 
ding dish first, a layer of tomatoes, then a thick layer of bread crumbs, salt, 
and a little white sugar and butter, then a layer of tomatoes, then bread 
crumbs, etc., till the dish is nearly full, having tomatoes last. Now, dust 
over pepper, a little sugar and butter, strew the top with bread crumbs, 
and bake {covered) half an hour; then remove the cover and bake brown, 
but be careful not to scorch. 

Green Corn on the Cob.— Remove the husks and silk from full grown 
ears of corn in which the milk is well developed. Put them into sufficient 
boiling water to cover. Boil gently in a covered kettle from twenty to 
thirty minutes, according to the age of the corn. Jt is better cooked by 
steam for half an hour. Corn which requires more than half an hour to 
cook is not good. 

Corn when cnt from the Coo. — Split the kernels of corn before re- 
moving- from Hie cob, and in cutting off, cut them several times through, 



RECIPES. 199 

leaving a part on the cob to be scraped off, so as to make a fine mass of the 
whole. Take a pint of milk or cream, bring it to a boil, and put the corn in 
and boil slowly in a closed porcelain or tin vessel for ntteen or twenty min- 
utes, with very little salt ; or, which is better, steam it for half an hour. It 
will then be very rich and savory. 

Succotash.— For succotash, Lima beans are the best; the Agricultural 
stand second on the list. But any good variety of bush beans, which come 
earlier than these, makes an article by no means inferior. Shell the green 
beans, and boil them slowly in an abundance of water for one or two hours, 
being careful to keep them cohered with water while boiling. Cut an 
equal measure of well-grown com from the cob, as in the previous direct- 
ions; place it in a pan to steam, over the beans— if not provided with 
suitable steam apparatus. Add a little water to the corn, and stir it occa- 
sionally. Steam from twenty to thirty minutes, then add the corn to the 
beans, and simmer for half an hour. Stir often, and watch carefully so it 
will not burn. Season to suit the taste. 

A delicate succotash is made by scoring the rows of corn and scooping 
out the pulp with a case knife. 

Dried Sweet Corn.— Wash the quantity you wish to cook. Add two or 
three tinges as much water, and soak over night. In the morning place on 
the range or stove in a closed tin or porcelain vessel, where it will keep at 
the ssulding point for four or five hours. Do not let it boil a moment. Be 
equally careful to keep it hot. Add water, if necessary, and do not make 
it too thick. Season as you like with salt. 

Dried Green Peas.— Wash the peas, pour boiling soft water over them 
sufficient to cover. Let them stand over night. Stew them for several 
hours, or until they are soft and pulpy. Add boiling water occasionally, 
and keep them covered closely while cooking. Add half a cup of cream 
and a little salt, and boil ten minutes, then serve. 

Winter Succotash.— Take equal quantities of dried sweet corn and of 
dried green beans. Wash and soak them separately, over night, in warm 
water. Add more water, if necessary, in the morning. Boil the beans 
slowly for four or five hours, adding boiling water occasionally. Cook the 
corn as you would without the beans ; then add the corn to the beans, and 
cook slowly, only long enough to combine them well. This is an excellent 
article of food, if carefully prepared, although not equal to succotash in 
the summer . Season with cream and salt . 

Stewed Carrots. -One pound of carrots : one ounce of butter ; a quarter 
of an oan^e of parsley ; one teaspoonful of flour, and four tablespoonfuls 
of cream. About half boil the carrots, then scrape and slice them ; put 
them into a pan with half a teacupful of vegetable broth, or water; let, 
them simmer until quite tender, but not broken ; add the chopped parsley* 
and stir in the flour and butter, previously mixed ; let them simmer ten 
minutes longer, and serve immediately. 

Green Peas.— The most important part is to get the peas fresh from the 
vines. They iose their delicious flavor in a very short time after picking. 



> 



200 RECIPES. 



Wash before shelling*, not after. Shell the peas, then select the tenderest 
pods, and put into just water enough to cover them, and after boiling ten 
or fifteen minutes, skim out the pods and put in the peas. Boil them slowly 
twenty minutes, trim with a little cream and salt. They should be boiled 
in so little waier that there will not be more than a half cupful left when 
they are cooked, and this should be seasoned and dished with the peas. 
Those who depend on the markets for peas, often find them insipid and 
tasteless, notwithstanding their care in selecting and cooking. Sometimes 
a spoonful of sugar will add to the flavor. Boiling the pods adds much to 
the richness and sweetness of the peas, but they should be skimmed out 
after cooking fifteen minutes. 

Boiled Cafohage.— Take off all the outside leaves from a head of white 
cabbage ; cut into quarters, and lay it for a few minutes in a panful of cold 
salted water. This will at once remove slugs or insects. Open the leaves, 
but do not break them from the stem. Shake them in the water and exam- 
ine carefully, then put into a kettle containing at least three quarts of boil- 
ing water. Cover the kettle and boil fast for three-quarters of an hour, or 
until it is thoroughly done, not a moment longer. 

Asparagus.— Kern ove the basswood binding ; cut off a little of the root- 
end of each sprout ; scrape off the white lough skin with a kitchen knife ; 
wash and drain ; tie in small bundles and boil, if possible, with the heads up- 
right and just out of the water. The steam from the water will cook the 
heads, which, if covered witu water, will drop into pieces before the root- 
ends are done; remove carefully from the water, cut away the string and 
serve on toast with melted butter or a plain salad dressing of oil, vinegar 
and salt. If the latter is used, toast is not necessary. Boiled asparagus 
may also be dressed with a white sauce made by cooking one tablespoonful 
of butter and one heaping tablespoonful of flour rubbed together in one 
half pint of new milk till it thickens. Salt to taste, and pour over the as- 
paragus laid upon toasted bread on a hot plate. 

String Beans.— Select beans neither too young nor too stale, and string 
carefully, then cut half a dozen together into pieces not more than an inch 
in length. Wash them and throw them into boiling salted water, and cook 
from one to three hours, or until tender, no longer. There should be little 
liquor left, which may be increased by adding half a cup of cream or new 
milk. Boil up once and serve, or simply season with butter and serve. 

Shelled Beans.— Wash and cook in boiling water till tender, which will 
vary in time from three-quarters of an hour to an hour. Season with but- 
ter, salt and half a cupful of rich milk or thin cream. 

Dried Beans.— Look over carefully, wash in two waters and soak eight 
hours, changing the water several times, and always using it lukewarm. 
Boil two hours or till soft, and dress with a little butter. If thrown into 
toiling water without soaking, they will require a longer time to boil, and 
the skins will not separate from the interior.of the bean, 

Beans without Fork.— Some families seem not to know that baked 
beans are delicious without pork, if properly cooked and seasoned. Boil a 



RECIPES. 201 



pot of beans until they are cooked thoroughly soft, take half for one day's 
bean soup, and use the other half a few days later for baked beans. If the 
beans are old drop in a small lump or half-teaspoonful of soda. When this 
water boils, turn it off, and supply its place with cleau boiling water. After 
the beans have boiled in this an hour, we chauge the water again— some- 
times three times, but never after the beans have begun to come to pieces. 
Set them where they will not boil too hard, and cook them four or five 
hours, when they are well softened and separated. Then we stir into this 
soup salt, and a cup of cream if we have it ; if not, a tablespoonf ul or two 
of good butter. We take out half of the beans (if we have cocked enough 
for two meals) before seasoning the day's portion, and sometimes thin 
what is left for soup with hot water, and then put in the cream and salt, 
and boil and stir it all together. Whf n we bake the reserved portion, we 
pouritintoa large baking-dish or dripping-pan, stir in a spoonful of salt 
and a cup of cream, or creamy milk, and a bit of butter, and bake an hour. 
I cannot believe that any OL.e w ho tries it, would prefer "pork and beans" 
to this. The most common mistake in cooking beans is in cooking them too 
little. This is the cause of their flatulent tendency, and such a result may 
be prevented by thoroughly cooking. The frequent changing of the water 
takes away the strong flavor which is disagreeable to many. 

Butter, Beans and Onion Sauce.— Rub one large boiled onion through 
a seive. Take two ounces of butter, divide it into little balls, and roll them 
in flour ; put half an ounce in a small stew-pan, and when it begins to melt, 
whisk it rapidly to a cream, add another butter ball and whisk it until it as- 
similates with the first continue adding the butter in this way until all 
is used, then whisk in the onion pulp ; add a teaspoonful of lemon juice, 
and pour the sauce over a quart of boiled butter beans.— C. 

Succotash.— Boil the corn on the cob and cut off the kernels; add to a 
quart of them, one pint of lima beans ; put them in a sauce-pan, add one 
ounce of butter, salt and pepper to taste, and a pint of milk ; simmer ten 
minutes and serve. Succotash is an American dish ; the Narragansett In- 
dians called it Msickquatosh, or corn boiled whole. 

Cooper says : " The wise Huron is welcome ; he is come to eat his succo- 
tash with his brother of the lakes." The old fashioned New England 
succotash was made of equal parts of corn and small white beans. 

Cabbage with Mills.— Cut half of a solid head of cabbage fine as for 
slaw. Have a deep spider on the fire and hot. Put in your cabbage, pour 
over it a pint of boiling water, cover close, and cook ten or fifteen minutes; 
then pour off the water that remains, and add half a pint of rich milk. 
When the milk boils up, stir in a teaspoonful of flour moistened with a little 
cream or milk, a sprinkle of salt, and cook the flour a minute, then dish up. 

Those who usually find cabbage an unpleasantly indigestible article of 
food will be gratified with this mode of cooking it. It is quite like cauli- 
flower, and much cheaper. 

Dr. Everett's Choice.— Cut as much nice, clean cabbage as will fill a 
spider. Place it in this utensil, cover with a plate, and let it cook till done 
in the steam from its own juices. 



X 



202 RECIPES. 

Stuffed New Onions* au Gratin.— Select onions of a uniform size, peel 
and cut a slice from the top of each. Remove a part of the center of each 
and chop it fine. Soak three ounces of bread crumbs, squeeze out the 
water from them and add the yolks of two eggs. Mix all together, and 
season with salt and very little mace. Stuff the onions with this; cover 
the tops of the onions with grated cheese and bake till brown.— C. 

Baked Onions.— This vegetable is excellent when scalded and baked 
whole. Sprinkle with a little salt and crumbs of bread. Again, onions 
may be scalloped in a buttered dish with alternate layers of bread crumbs, 
the whole moistened with new milk. 

Onions.— The unpleasant breath which eating this vegetable produces, is 
perhaps the greatest objection to its use, but still it is a very wholesome 
and desirable article of food for many, and hence should be brought on the 
table in the most attractive form. White onions, and those grown in the 
South, are least odorous and pungent. Take off the outside skin, cut off 
both ends close, and let them stand in cold water an hour, then drop them 
into a saucepan with two quarts of boiling water. Cover and boil fifteen 
minutes. Have a kettle of boiling water on the fire ready for use, pour off 
the water from the onions, and add as much more— be sure the water is 
boiling— and boil half an hour longer. Scald a cupful of rich milk, pour off 
the second water from the onions, add the milk and a little flour to thicken 
it. Salt to taste. Boil up a few minutes and serve the onions whole, or 
they may be cut in halves before cooking. 

Spinach -with Eggs.— Cleanse by washing in four or five waters, a half- 
peek of spinach ; bring to a boil two quarts of water with a table-spoonful 
ot salt (use either a porcelain-lined or copper sauce-pan, so as to keep the 
color of the spinach), throw in the spinach, and cover. When it is cooked, 
drain and sqeeze it well and chop fine. Put two ounces of the best butter 
in a saucepan, then the spinach, a little pepper and nutmeg. Boil two eggs 
hard, take off the shells, and cut them into quarters ; dish up the spinach 
and place the eggs around it. This dish should be served by itself, and, to 
make it more attractive, you can put some puff paste croutons around the 
bottom of the dish.— C. 

Celery, to Serve.— Cut off the root-end and green stalks, and plunge the 
white stalks in cold water. Wipe the stalks dry and put them on a glass 
dish, (oval shaped and curled up on the sides,) with the leaf ends outwards, 
strew over them a little tine cracked ice. These glass celery boats are the 
most appropriate receptacles for serving celery, as one can remove the 
celery from them, stalk by stalk, without scattering the remainder over 
the table. The tall celery glass has out lived its usefulness, ar d no loager 
appears on well-appointed tables-— C. 

Field Mushrooms for "Winter Use.— -Select the smallest of those 
gathered and wipe them free from grit. Put into a frying-pan a quarter of 
a pound of the very best butter. Add to it two whole cloves, a saltspoon- 
ful of salt, and a tablespoonful of lemon juice. When hot add a quart of 
the small mushrooms, toss them about in the butter for a moment only, 
then put them in jars; fill the top of each jar with an inch or two of the 



RECIPES. 203 

butter and let it cool. Keep the jars in a cool place, and when the butter 
is quite firm add a top layer of salt. Cover to keep out dust.— C. 

Grr?en Corn.— Select ears of about the same degree of maturity ; remove 
all the outer husks, and turning" back the inner, remove the silk, then turn 
back the tender husks till over the ends of the cobs, and plunge into boil- 
ing-water. Cook from fifteen to twenty minutes, strip off the husk and 
serve on a platter under a folded napkin to retain the heat . 

Green Corn Fritters.— To every good- sized teacupful of green corn 
pulp, obtained by scoring and scraping the rows of kernels, beat in one 
tablespoonful of flour, one well-beaten egg and a saltspoonful of salt. 
Cook on a buttered griddle, like batter cakes. 

Canned Corn.— Favorite brands of sweet or evergreen corn are fre- 
quently ruined by over-cooking, which readers the corn tough. Heat it 
through over a gentle fire, and serve at once in a warm vegetable dish. 

Corn and Tomatoes.— Stew together equal quantities of tomatoes and 
sweet corn, fresh cut or scraped from the cob. They should cook at least 
forty minutes. Shortly before they are done, season with salt and butter. 

Green Corn Pudding.— Beat separately the yolks and whites of four 
eggs, and into the yolks stir the pulp grated or scraped from ten ears of 
juicy sweet corn, just mature enough to be palatable Beat in a dessert 
spoonful of softened butter, and then a quart of new milk, or, better stilb 
dispense with the butter and use part sweet cream and part milk. Add a 
dessert-spoonful of sugar, salt to taste, and then cut into the pudding, or 
stir in carefully the beaten whites of the eggs. Bake slowly for fifty min- 
utes and serve as a vegetable. 

Boiled Beets.— The tops of beets should never be cut off close to the 
head nor should the small roots be disturbed since the juice and richness of 
the vegetable will then escape. Cook in boiling water from one hour to 
three, according to the agj; remove the skin and slice. Serve with or 
without lemon juice. When young, serve hot with a trifle of butter. 

Boiled Parsnips.— Scrape or pare according to the age, split in two and 
plunge into salted boiling water. Cook till soft, which will be from half an 
hour till three times that length of time. When done slice them and serve, 
or slice and brown in the oven with bits of butter, or mash, season Trith 
cream, heat up again and serve. 

Stewed Carrots.— Wash and scrape, and soak in cold water an hour. 
Plunge in boiling water and cook a long time or till tender. Cut or chop 
them into dice and simmer them in the water in which they were boiled till 
they are soft; then drain and pour over them white sauce made with a pint 
of milk thickened with two tablespoonfuls of flour and two of butter, 
cooked together in a small saucepan and slightly salted. This white sauce 
will be found most convenient for the dressing of various vegetables. 

Boiled Turnips.— Turnips contain little nourishment, but they afford 
an agreeable flavoring when boiled and mashed with potatoes, one third as 
much of the former as the latter. They may be cooked by themselves by 
paring, cutting into cubes and boiling till tender. Then mash and season 



204 RECIPES. 






with butter and pepper, or serve without mashing, but with the addition 
of a little white sauce. 

Salsify, or Oyster Plant.— Scrape the roots and throw them into cold 
water to keep them from turning black. Cut into pieces an inch long and 
stew in boiling salted water till soft. Pour over white sauce, and serve. 

Summer Squash.— Pare the squash, (unless they are very young,) cut 
into small pi ooes, and soak in cold water half an hour, and boil till thor- 
oughly tender. Drain through a colander, then through a cloth, mash 
smooth and season with butter and salt. Heat again, and serve. 

Stewed Cucumbers.— In a dearth of other vegetables, cucumbers can 
be made a palatable change. Cut lengthwise into thick strips or quarters 
those which are well-grown but have not yet turned yellow. Remove the 
seeds, pare and soak in cold water half an hour or still longer, Put them 
into boiling water slightly salted, and cook fifteen minutes, or until tender 
when pierced with a fork. Drain and pour over them a white sauce pre- 
viously cooked, heat up, dish and serve. 

Baked Turnips •—Boil good turnips half an hour, cut in thin slices and 
lay in a buttered pudding dish; strew them with fine t seasoned, bread- 
crumbs, turn over them a half -cupful of new milk and bake tili brown. 

Cauliflower au Gratin.— Trim off the outside leaves and put the head 
downward in a tin ; cover i t with water slightly salted and let it stand half an 
hour. Drain, wrap it up in a napkin ; cover with boiling water; add a little 
salt and boil until tender, using much care not to overcook it. Arrange in 
a dish, and serve with cream sauce.— C. 

"Winter Squash.— Split the squash and remove the center, then steam 
or bake till done, the latter giving the best result, as the squash is made dry 
and sweet. Bake on a dripping pan with the shell side down. Scrape out 
the soft part, mash, and season with butter and salt to taste. 

Macaroni.— Break the macaroni into small peices and boil till tender in 
salted water. Drain, and arrauge in a baking dish and pour over it a white 
sauce such as has been described. Stew cracker crumbs, moistened with 
milk on the top, and bake half an hour, 

Macaroni and Cheese.— Mix with the white sauce, which should be 
made quite thin, half a cup of grated cheese, and sprinkle a trifle with 
cracker crumbs over the top. Macaroni is also excellent when moistened 
in the baking dish with strained tomatoes, which gives it a fine flavor. 

Macaroni.— Divide two ounces of macaroni into three to four inch 
pieces; add two quarts of boiling water, salted, simmer twenty-five min- 
utes and drain. Put the macaroni in a saucepan, and add seasoned gravy 
or soup stock enough to prevent burning. iStrew over it an ounce of grated 
cheese; when the cheese is melted, turn it out on a hot dish, add a little 
more cheese, and serve.— C. 

Sweet Potato Soufflie.— Boil four medium-sized sweet potatoes. When 
done, peel and mash them. Beat up the yolks and whites of two eggs 



RECIPES 205 



separately, add a gill of cream to the yolks, beat it into the potato (sea- 
soned with salt and pepper), and place it in the oven. Whisk the whites to 
a foam. Remove the pan from the oven, add the foam, replace it in the 
oven, and when delicately browned it is done. 

Stewed ©andelions.— Pick over carefully two quarts of dandelions' 
wash them thoroughly in several waters, cover with fresh water and let 
them stand overnight, wash them again and drain. Put them into a pot 
with wat?r enough to prevent burning, add a little salt, let them boil two 
hours, drain off all moisture and chop them fine. When wanted, heat a 
small piece of butter or a little oil in a pan, add a portion of the dandelions, 
heat gently, add a trifle of pepper and serve. They may be warmed over 
several times without deteriorating.— C. 

Egg Plant.— Pare and cut slices, half an inch thick, two or three egg 
plants, according to the size of your family, and put to soak in cold, salted 
water for two hours. This removes a black bitter juice, said to be un- 
healthful, certainly very disagreeable. Then press the slices between two 
plates, and wipe them on a clean cloth, then boil till soft enough to mash 
like turnips. Mash them smooth, add a few bread crumbs soaked in sweet 
cream, a little chopped parsley and salt, and a sprinkle of cayenne. Mix 
all thoroughly, pcur into a buttered baking dish, cover the top with bread 
crumbs and bake half an hour. 

Another Way to Serve Egg Plant.— The vegetable egg we think 
has been undervalued, more on account of its improper preparation than 
for its demerit— the saturating it in butter and lard being the greatest ob- 
jection. 

Wife has this season prepared as follows : Peel and then cut egg plant 
in slices ; add water enough to boil soft, and salt to suit taste. When soft 
pour off water and mash it ; make a batter of flour and eggs, mix the whole 
together, and bake like griddle-cake. When the proper quantities are 
mixed it will make a nice brown cake, with no grease, except to keep 
free from pan, and free from the strong, wild taste which is generally 
disliked. We think the egg plant is destined to become a more general 
article of food, especially among hygienists,— H> M. Eagle, 

Canliilower.— Soak the head two hours in cold salted watar, and boil 
till tender in plenty of water. Have the water boiling when you put in 
the vegetable. Pour off the water, and add a cup of cream or milk. Rub 
together a teaspoonful of butter and a large spoonful of flour. Stir into 
the milk, season as you like, and let all boil together and serve. 

Spina cli.— Wash carefully in plenty of cold salt and water, put it into a 
saucepan that will just hold it, put in some salt, and pour over it a pint of 
boiling water. Cover close, and cook in its own juices. Drain off all the 
water, and pour over it a gill of scalded cream or a little butter, and it is 
ready for the table. 



206 RECIPES. 



SALADS. 

Salads are to be highly commended. They furnish a large amount of 
salt3 for the blood, too much neglected in our food, and of great import- 
ance. They are also cooling, appetizing, delicious. 



FRUIT SALADS. 

Transparent ©range Dressing. (Mrs. Ewing.) — To the juice of three 
oranges and one lemon, which should make half a pint, add four ouuces of 
sugar, and the white and yolk of one egg ; beat all together. If liked, a 
small portion of the grated peel oC both orange and lemons can be added. 

A jellied orange dressing may be made by adding to the above mixture 
before heating it, half an ounce of gelatine, soaked an hour in a gill of cold 
water. 

The above excellent dressing will be found fitted for various kinds of 
fruits, as for oranges and bananas sliced and arrayed in alternate layer3. 
The jellied dressing may be molded with layers of small or large fruit, or 
large fruit sliced and kept on ice till needed for the table. 

Salad of Mixed Friuts.— Put in the center of a dish a pineapple, pared, 
cored and sliced, yet retaining as near as possible its original shape. 
Peel, quarter and remove the seeds from four sweet oranges, and arrange 
them in a border around the pineapple. Select four fine bananas, peel and 
cut into slices lengthwise ; arrange these zig-zag fence fashion around the 
border of the dish. In the V-shaped spaces around the dish put tiny 
mounds of grapes of mixed colors. When complete, the dish is to be fin- 
ished by pouring over it a transparent dressing. -C. 

Pineappl© Salad.— Pare and dig out the eyes of a ripe pineapple ; take 
hold of the crown of the pineapple with the left hand, take a fork in the 
right hand, and with it tear the pineapple into shreds until the core is 
reached, which throw away. Arrange the shredded fruit lightly in a com- 
potier, add a liberal quantity of powdered sugar, a wineglass!" ul of lemon- 
ade or orangeade, or the juice of any acid fruit. Alternate layers of 
shredded pineapple and fresh cocoanut served with a sauce made of 
orange juice seasoned with sugar 13 excellent. 



VEGETABLE SALADS. 

Under this heading we may enumerate onions, radishes, dandelions, nast- 
urations, tomatoes, water cresses, cucumbers, cabbage and lettuce, all 
popular dishes when served cold, especially in midsummer. Whenever 
salads are unwholesome it is from an excess of dressing, or from dressings 
too elaborate and complex for the human stomach to endure, Sweet oil 
and lemon juice, simply, in moderate quantity, cannot be objectionable. 

Potato Salad.— Slice thinly eight or ten good-sized Irish potatoes 
(boiled and cold), chop finely one good-sized apple, one and a half small 
onions, rinse and chop the leaves of a largo handful of green parsley. 



% RECIPES. 207 

Spread a layer of the potato in a chopping* tray, sprinkle liberally with 
salt, then half the parsley, apple and onions, then the rest of the potato, 
then more salt and the other half of the parsley, apple and onion ; pour 
half a teacup of sweet oil or melted butter over the whole, with a small 
cup of vinegar. Mix the whole carefully so as not to break the potatoes. 

Breakfast Salad. — Scald two ripe tomatoes, peel them, put them in cold 
water or fine ice to become cold; drain and either slice cr divide into sec- 
tions. Peel and slice very thin, one cucumber ; line a salad bowl with crisp 
lettuce leaves, add the tomatoes and cucumber, a teaspoonf ul of minced 
parsley, with a few blades of chives, and if possible add a few tarragon 
leaves. Over all pour a plain salad dressing of oil, vinegar and salt. 

Lettuce and Tomato Salad.— Take one head of the broad-leaved vari- 
ety of lettuce, examine each leaf, wipe them gently with a napkin and 
arrange them neatly in a salad-bowl. Plunge three tomatoes into hot 
water, take them out, peel them and cover them with fine ice ; when quite 
cold, slice, and neatly add the lettuce. Pour over all a plain salad dressing 
and serve. 

Cucumbers, peeled and sliced in cold water before serving, make a 
salad less wholesome than others, but palatable. Alternate layers of 
sliced cucumbers and tomatoes make a favorite summer salad. So do 
potatoes, chopped cabbage, chopped celery, also beets and radishes. 

Cold Slaw.— Take half a head of white cabbage, cut it into fine shreds, 
and put into a bowl or deep dish. Add the juice of a large lemon and two 
spoonfuls of cold water, and stir together ; then sift evenly over the cab- 
bage three or four tablespoonf uls of granulated sugar ; shake the dish so 
that the sugar may be diffused, but do not stir it again. Let it stand ten 
or fifteen minutes and then serve. 

Potato Salad.— Cut six or eight cold potatoes into even, thin slices, and 
put into a salad dish. Cut fine, and sprinkle over the potatoes a teaspoon- 
ful of parsley, and a little salt and cayenne. Stir half a teacupful of good 
cream until it is very smooth and foamy ; pour over the potatoes and mix 
carefully, so as not to break the slices. A little prepared mustard, and a 
few stalks of white celery chopped fine, is an addition. This is a good dish 
for a hearty lunch. 



PIES. 

Pies are wholesome or not as they are well or badly made. An apple pie 
can be so prepared as to be nearly or quite as simple as bread, butter and 
apple sauce. A whole meal may be made of it without injury to the 
health. On the other hand, it may be so prepared as to be unfit for any 
stomach. The model pie is, in our opinion, the apple pie. Peach pics are 
highly relished by many; but the peach loses its finest flavor by cooking,' 
whereas the apple is improved by this process. Most of the berries in 
their season make good pies. So does rice and eggs, and the custard pie is 



208 RECIPES. 



not only delicious, but wholesome. The first thing 1 to be secured in a pie 
is good crust. In general terms, this should be thin, and -when well 
baked, tender. It should not be shortened with lard, but the best of 
cream, or in the absence of this, good butter. Delicate fruits are soon 
tainted with the shortening- of the crust.- Many in baking- pies use too 
much crust. The least that can be used the better the pie. The crust 
should be thin, the fruit good pie-apples, and a plentiful supply put 
between the crust. Where the two crusts meet on the edge of the 
dish, care should be taken to have the apples pressed out, so that there 
shall not be a wide strip of thick crust with no apple near them. An 
apple pie should be eaten just after it is cool. If eaten while hot, it is apt 
to go down only half masticated. After an apple pie is one day old 
it begins to grow stale, unless it is kept with great care. Soyer, the 
famous London pie-maker, thinks that if all the spoilt pies made in Lon- 
don one single Sunday were placed in a row beside a railway, it would 
take an express train an hour to pass them in review. Whoever will in- 
duce bakers to improve their methods of making them will be a public 
benefactor. 

The following receipts for pie pastry will be found excellent. They 
may be varied somewhat to suit individual tastes, provided only the 
general rules be kept in view. We commend the cream shortening as 
better than any other. 

Good Pie Criast.— A quart of flour will make two large pies. Sift the 
flour. Take a large, strong spoon, and stir into the flour one quarter of a 
pound of butter and a teaspoonful of yeast powder; then moisten with 
cold water— ice water if you have it— using just as little as will make the 
flour stick together. Sprinkle some of the shortened flour on the pie-board, 
and roll the crust large enough for the pie-pan ; dont try to make smooth 
edges until you have put in the filling and the upper crust ; then press the 
edges firmly together and cut off the rough edges with a knife. The secret 
of good, tender, plain pastry, is speedy work— not with too warm hands. 

Cream and Potato Pastry.— Six good sized potatoes, boiled and 
mashed, mealy and white, one cup of sweet cream, a half-teaspoonf ul of 
salt, and flour enough to make it stay together, and roll out. Work and 
handle as little as possible, and roll thicker than for common pastry. 

This is Mrs. Beecher's Recipe for "pastry and meat pies," and is exactly 
what a wholesome fruit pie needs. Light, tart apples, cut in thin slices, 
and filled into such a crust with atablespoonful of water and two of sugar 
added, and a top crust baked half an hour, will be good enough for an epi- 
cure. 

Mrs. Cox'S Method.— Pour sufficient boiling water upon wheat meal to 
make a stiff dough ; roll, without kneading, to any desired thickness, from 
an eighth to a half-inch. 

Note. — This makes a very tender crust, quite as much so as can be made 
in the ordinary way. It may be made of superfine flour, or rye meal, or a 
mixture of different kinds of flour. 

To have the crust tender, it must not be kneaded, but rolled but with 
plenty of meal on the board. 



RECIPES. 209 



M&ttie Jones's Cream Pie Crust. — Take equal quantities of Graham 
flour, white flour, and Indian meal ; rab evenly together, and wet with very- 
thin, sweet cream. It should be rolled thin and baked in an oven as hot as 
for common pic-crust. 

Note. — This make3 excellent pastry if properly baked. Many patient3 
have said to us that they didn't see how they ever again could relish the 
pastry in common use (this is so much sweeter and more palatable, to say 
nothing of its wholesomeness). 

Apple Pies. — Take nice, tart apples— Spitzenbergs are best, although 
pippins, greenings, russets, etc., are excellent. Slice them ; fill the under- 
crust an inch thick ; sprinkle over sugar ; add a spoonful or two of water ; 
cover with a thin crust, and bake three-fourths of an hour in a moderate 
oven. 

Another. — Peel and cut about two pounds of tart apples ; cut each into 
four peices, removing the cores ; then cut each quarter into two or three 
pieces, according to their size. Put half of them into a pie dish, slightly 
pressing them down ; put over them two ounces of brown sugar, making 
the apples form a kind of dome, the center being two inches higher than 
the sides ; add a small wine-glass of water ; cover the top with paste, anq 
bake in a moderate oven from half to three-quarters of an hour. 

Hock Apple Pie.— For a large pie-plate, two crackers (milk or soda), 
one egg, one cup of sugar, one of water, and the juice of one lemon ; add a 
pinch of salt, and spice with a nutmeg or the rind of the lemon. This is 
a tolerable counterfeit. 

Apple PwJIk. — Peel and core six tart apples, cook quickly with very 
little water ; cover cJose so as to make them white and free from lumps ; 
When done to a pu2, sprinkle over them two heaping spoonfuls of sugar, 
and stir smooth. Set to cool. Prepare your pastry. Beat the whites of 
three eggs to a stiU froth, stir in the apples and ill! the crust ; grate a little 
cinnamon or nutmeg over the top. No top crust. Eake in a quick oven, 
only long enough to cook the pastry. 

Apple Float.— A pint of stewed, well mashed apples ; whites of three 
eggs, four large spoonfuls of sugar, beaten until sfciH ; then add the apples 
and beat all together until still enough to stand alone. Fill a deep dish 
with rich cream or boiled soft custard, and pile the float on top. This is ex- 
cellent with other fruits in place of apples. 

Old Fashioned Apple Sauce.- "Fill a deep pudding-dish with coarsely- 
chopped sour apples, pour over them two cups of sugar dissolved in one 
cap of warm water. Eake very slowly two hours or more, when they will 
be found to be excellent. 

Bailed Apples.— Core and pare large, sour apples, till the cavities with 
sugar and arrange in a deep, earthorn pie-plate. Pour over them a half-cup 
full of hot water and bake in a quick oven. Arrange the apples in a dich, 
all but one, the softest of them all, and with a silver knife and fork remove 
the skin from this and mash the pulp, stirring it well into the juice left in 
the pan. Season with more sugar, if needed, a trifle of salt, and a half -tea- 



210 RECIPES. 

spoonful of cinnamon. Put this over the apples and set it away in a cool 
place. A very toothsome dish. 

Old Style " Pan Doudy."- Cover the bottom of a quart pudding-dish 
or granitized pan, with sliced sour apples an inch thick. Over them, 
sprinkle a layer of cracker crumbs half that thickness. Continue to alter- 
nate apples and cracker, strewing* sugar over the fruit, until the dish is 
filled. Bake one hour, and eat with cream or any wholesome sauce. 

Apple Custard Pie.— Peel, core and stew sour apples in a very little 
water, and, when soft, rub through a colander. For each pie, beat three 
eggs, into which stir one-third of a cup of sugar and a trifle of butter, then 
beat in enough apple to fill a plain crust. Bake with only an under crust, 

Cocoannt or Chocolate Custard Pie.— Any simple custard made 
with four eggs to a quart of milk, can be seasoned with either chocolate or 
cocoanut. For the former, boil the chocolate with the milk, making it as 
rich as desired, and when cold, beat in the beaten eggs and sugar. For the 
latter, stir in the cocoanut when the boiled milk is nearly cold. 

Rhubarb Pie.— Cut the rhubarb, after peeling, into inch pieces and 
scald fifteen minutes in boiling water. Drain and fill the plate, covered 
with thin crust very full, and sprinkle over it a scant cup of sugar. Bake 
and eat soon after cooling. 

Pumpkin Pie.— Select a pumpkin which has a deep, rich color, and 
firm, close texture. Stew and sift in the ordinary manner; add as much 
boiling milk as will make it about one-third thicker than for common 
pumpkin pie. Sweeten with equal quantities of sugar and molasses, and 
bake about one hour in a hot oven. 

Note.— Those who will try this method will be surprised to find how de- 
licious a pie can be made without eggs, ginger or spices of any kind. The 
milk being turned boiling hot upon the pumpkin causes it to swell in bak- 
ing, so that it is as light and nice as though eggs had been used. 

Squash. Pie.— This is even superior to pumpkin, as it possesses a much 
richer, sweeter flavor, and is far preferable. It is made in precisely the 
same manner as pumpkin pie. Nothing surpassess these pies. 

Svreei Potato Pie.— Boil and sift through a colander, nice, ripe, sweet 
potatoes, add boiling milk, and make the same as pumpkin pie. 

Sweet Apple Pie. — Pare mellow, sweet apples, and grate them upon a 
grater. A very large grater is necessary for this purpose. Then proceed 
as for pumpkin pie. 

Note. — The last four recipes mentioned are from The Hygiene Cook Boo% 
by Mrs. M. M. Jones, a work of which thousands have been sold, and 
which has been republished in England. 

Rice Pie.— Take cold rice, cooked in milk ; add sufficient cream to make 
quite thin; mash it with a wooden or silver spoon till free from lumps. 
Beat up four eggs very light— yolks and whites separately ; sweeten to suit 
your taste, and pour in the eggs, the whites last; stir well, cover a deep 
cust ard or pumpkin pie-plate with pastry, pour in the rice and bake, but 
not lozis enough to make the custard watery. 



RECIPES. 211 

* 

Rice pie should be made thick, and eaten when fresh, but not till after 
it is cold. Children are very fond of it, and may be allowed as much as they 
wish. 

Cranberry Pie.— Stew a few good, ripe, sweet apples; add an equal 
quantity of cranberries, and sweeten to taste. Cover a deep plate with a 
crust, and fill even full ; roll the upper crust, and cut in strips half an inch 
Wide and lay across the pie, leaving- the spaces diamond-shaped, and bake. 

Strawberry Pie.— Place the under crust upon a deep plate, and the 
upper one, cut just the right size, on a flat tin or sheet iron, prick to pre- 
vent blistering", and bake. Fill the deep dish while hot with sweetened 
strawberries, and cover with the flat crust. If the fruit is rather hard, 
replace in the oven till heated; if quite ripe, the crust will steam them 
sufficiently. 

Raspberry and blackberry pie may be made in the same manner. The 
flavor of these delicious berries, when quite ripe, is greatly injured by 
cooking; and they are also changed to a mass of little else than seeds and 
juice. 

Raspberry Pies may be prepared as above, and baked until the fruit is 
cooked, which takes only a few minutes. This method is much better than 
baking* the fruit with the crust, as the greater part of the juice is lost 
before the crust is cooked. 

Berry Tarts.— Cover gem-pans with crust, as if for little pies, and bake; 
when nearly done, fill up with berries and replace in the oven for a few 
minutes. 

Pie for Dyspeptics.— Four tablespoonfuls of oatmeal, one pint of 
water ; let it stand a few hours or until the meal is well swollen. Then add 
two large apples, pared and sliced, a little salt, one cup of sugar, one table- 
spoonful of flour. Mix all together and bake in a buttered pie-dish, and 
you have a most delicious pie, which may be eaten with safety by the sick 
or well. 



CUSTARDS. 

Almond Custard.— One pint of milk ; half a pint of cream ; one ounce 
and a half of sweet almonds; five yolks and two whites of eggs, and four 
ounces of white sugar. Boil the milk and cream and a small stick of cin- 
namon ; pour into a basin and when cool, take out the cinnamon ; set the 
milk on a slow fire, adding the sugar, the eggs, well beaten, and the al 
monds, blanched and chopped fine; stir on the fire till thick, but do not 
allow it to boil ; pour it Into a jug or bowl, stirring it frequently till cold*, 
and serve in custard glasses. 

Arrowroot Custard.— One ounce of arrowroot; three quarters of a 
pint of milk; three ounces of sugar, and four eggs. Mix the arrowroot 
with a quarter if a pint of cold milk, adding the eggs, well beaten, the 
sugar and a little almond-flavor; add half a pint of boiling milk, stirring 
constantly, and when cold serve in custard glasses. 



212 RECIPES. 



Milk Custard. —One pint of new milk, one tablespoonful of flour, oca 
tablespoonful of thick cream, cinnamon, almond-flavor and sugar. Set 
the milk over the fire with a little cinnamon, stirring* it till quite hot, but 
not allowing it to boil. Mix the cinnamon and flour together, pour on the 
hot milk, stir well, adding the almond-flavor and sugar. Bake lightly, 
without crust, in a moderate oven. 

Another.— One quart of new milk, sugar and one stiok of cinnamon. 
Boil the cinnamon in a pan with the new milk, take the pan off the fire, and 
stir in the sugar. Bake in pie or pudding dishes lined with custard 
paste. The paste should be pricked with a fork, but not through to the 
dish, and partly baked before the custard is put in. Egg custard may 
be made in the same way, allowing five or six eggs, according to size, to 
a quart of new milk. 

Baked Custards.— One pint of cream, four eggs, cinnamon, almond- 
fiavor and three ounces of sugar. Boil the cream with a piece of cinna- 
mon, pour it into a basin, and when cold stir in the eggs, well beaten and 
strained, the sugar powdered, and a few drops of almond or vanilla flavor. 
Bake in small cups, in a cool oven. 

Plain Boiled Custards.— The same, without any condiments. One 
quart of new milk, the yolks of eight and the whites of four eggs, five 
ounces of sugar, quarter of a pint of cream, the rind of a lemon, and a 
small stick of cinnamon. Boil the milk with the cinnamon, sugar and the 
rind of the lemon, pared very thin; when the milk has boiled a few min- 
utes, pour it into a bowl ; beat the eggs, adding the cream, and mix well in 
the milk, then strain the whole into the pan, and set it on a slow fire, stir- 
ring constantly till near boiling; pour it into a jug, stirring it till nearly 
cold, and serve in custard glasses. 

Gooseberry Custards.— Three pints of green gooseberries, a quarter of 
a pound of sugar, four eggs and two tablespoonfuls of orange-flower 
water. Set the gooseberries in cold water over a slow fire, and simmer 
till soft ; then drain the water away, and rub them through a sieve; to a 
pint of the pulp add the eggs, the sugar and the orange-flower water ; set it 
over the fire, stirring constantly tili it becomes thick, and when cold serve 
in custard glasses. 

Lemon Custards.— Eight eggs, six ounces of sugar, two lemons, a tea- 
cupful of cream, one pint of boiling water and two tablespoonfuls of 
orange flower water. Beat the yolks of the eggs until quite frothy, pour 
on them the boiling water, stirring quickly all the time, add the sugar 
and the rind of the lemon, grated, stir it over a slow fire till thick, adding 
the cream and orange-flower water; when hot, stir in the lemon juice, 
pour it into a basin, stir it till nearly cold, and serve in custard glasses. 

Lemon Custards.— One large lemon, one quart of new milk, a quarter of 
a pound of white sugar, and seven eggs. Grate off the rind of the lemon, 
put it with the sugar in the milk, and boil a. quarter of an hour; strain and 
Jet it remain till cool, then stir in the eggs, well beaten and strained, leav- 
ing out three whites ; pour it into cups with half a teaspoonf ul of fresh 



RECIPES. 213 

butter, melted, in each cup; set them in water and bake in a moderate 
oven ; color them when done by holding' a hot salamander over, and servi 
cold, with sugar sifted on the top. 

Raspfeerry Costards — One pint of cream or new milk, three-quarters 
of a pint of raspberry juice and half a pound of white sugar. Boil the 
cream., dissolve the sugar in the raspberry juice; mix it with the boiling 
cream, stirring- till quite thick, and serve in custard glasses. 

Rice Cusiards.— One ounce and a half of ground rice ; three ounces of 
loaf sugar and one pint of new milk. Boil the rice in the milk, adding the 
sugar and a piece of cinnamon ; pour it into custard cups, in which a little 
fresh butter has been melted, and bake in a slow oven. 

VaniJla Custards.— One stick of vanilla, one pint and a half of new 
milk, half a pint of cream, quarter of a pound of white sugar, and seven 
yolks and four whites of eggs. Cat the vanilla into slips, boil in the milk 
a quarter of an hour, adding the sugar; strain and let it remain till cool, 
then stir in the eggs, well beaten ; pour it into cups with half a teaspoon- 
ful of fresh butter, melted, in each cup, set them in water, bake in a 
moderate oven ; color them when done by holding a hot salamander over, 
and serve cold, with sugar sifted en the tcp. 

White Custards.— One pint of cream, three ounces of sugar, the whites 
of four eggs, and one tablespoonlul of orange-flower water. Boii the 
cream with a blade of mace, let it simmer for about Ave minutes, and then 
take it off the fire and add the sugar ; beiit the whites of the eggs to a com- 
plete froth, put them into the cream, set it on the fire again, and let it boii 
gently, stirring constantly until it becomes thick; take it off the fire, add 
the orange-flower water or a few drops of almond-flavor, and serve in cus- 
tard glasses. 

Corn Meal Custard.— Beat up three eggs and add to them a quart of 
milk and an ounce each of butter and sugar; mix, and add gradually a 
quarter of a pound of fine, white corn meal, and flavor with nutmeg. Pour 
into custard cups and boil or steam ten minutes, then put them into the 
oven long enough to brown on top.— -C. 

Cold Custard.— Wet a saucepan with cold water to prevent the milk 
that will be scalded in it from burning. Pour out the water and put in a 
quart of milk ; boil and partly cool. Beat up the yolks of six eg^s, and add 
three ounces of sugar and a saltspoonful of salt; mix thoroughly and add 
the lukewarm milk. Stir and pour the custard into a porcelain or doubie 
saucepan, and stir while on the range until of the consistency of cream, 
strain, when almost cold, and flavor if desired. Pour the custard into 
cups, and place on ice until wanted. After the eggs and cream have com- 
bined, it must not be allowed to boil, or it will curdle.— C. 

Tapioca Custard.— Pick over carefully and wash, one quarter-pound of 
small grain tapioca. Add to it a quart of boiling miik, two salt spoonfuls 
of salt, and boil slowly an hour and a half ; stir frequently ; when done, 
allow it to cool a little. Beat five eggs thoroughly, and add to them, three 
ounces of sugar, an ounce of butter, and a dash of nutmeg. Gradually add 



214 RECIPES. 

the tapioca, letting 1 the whole come to a boiling* point ; pour into cups or a 
mold, and serve hot or ice cold, as may be preferred. 

Note.— Custards are both wnolesome and nutritious, especially for the 
old, and those with feeble stomachs, and for those recovering- from sick- 
ness. They supply the waste of nerve-tissue better than meats or vege- 
tables. The custard pie is made by baking* the custard in an appropriate 
crust. 



PUDDINGS. 

Rice Pudding.— One cup of fresh, whole rice ; nine cupf uls of new 
milk, and one cup of sugar. W^sh the rice thoroughly, put into a stone or 
earthen pan, and bake in a moderate oven three hours. Stir it two or three 
times during the tirst hour ; do not increase the heat of the oven after the 
milk begins to simmer; be careful not to scorch or blister ; a light cover 
toward the last will be better. Set to cool undisturbed. It is best eaten 
cold. Raisins may be added, if desired. 

Another.— One teacupf ul of rice, picked and washed ; three quarts of 
new milk; one cup of white sugar, and one cup of raisins. Bake three 
hours in a moderate oven; stir it occasionally for two hours ; then leave it 
to brown over. This makes a delicious pudding, plain and simple. 

Another.— Wash two ounces of rice in two waters, then drain and add 
three half-pints of milk, an ounce of sugar, a little salt and a dash of nut- 
meg ; let it stand three quarters of an hour, then bake in a moderate oven 
until delicately brown. 

Cold Rice Pudding.— Beat the whites and yolks. of six eggs separately; 
add four ounces of sugar, a little flavoring and salt to the yolks, and add 
eo id boiled rice enough to make a stiff batter. Beat in the whisked whites ; 
pour the mixture into cups, set them in a pan partly filled with hot water, 
place on the range for half an hour, then put the pan ana puddings in the 
oven, and bake forty minutes. When cold surround them with ice. A rich, 
cold, custard sauce may be served with them.— C. 

Bread Pndding.— To one loaf of bread, well grated, pour one quart of 
boiled milk or cream, three eggs, a small cupful of white sugar, flavor to 
the taste (mace is a very good flavor), and bake an hour. If the boiled 
milk is poured upon pieces of stale bread and left standing two hours, they 
can be mashed and freed from lumps with the hand before putting in tho 
eggs. Dried currants, that have been well washed and swelled in luke- 
warm water, or raisins, will be a good addition to this pudding. If made 
with crackers i t will be still more delicate. Cold sauce may be eaten with 
it or fruit sauce, if no fruit is put into the pudding. 

Bread and Bulter Pudding.— Select a loaf of stale brown bread. Do 
not remove the crust. Cut the loaf in thin slices and butter them, half fill 



RECIPES. 215 

a pudding-dish with them and fill up with a boiled custard, put the dish in 
a pan part full of water, and let it remain on top of the range an hour and 
a half, then put it in the oven to brown slightly, "When done serve with 
a sauce made as follows: Half a pint of cream, two ounces of butter, 
a heaping tablespoonfu of flour, and a tabiespoonful of sugar. Let it 
come to a boil, then place on the back of the range. When lukewarm, 
whisk into it slowly the yolk of one egg well beaten ; warm it slightly, and 
serve.— C 

Bread and Fruit Pudding.— Trim off the crust from a quantity of 
dry bread and grate the remaining white part of it, add to a pint of it 
one quart of hot boiled milk, two ounces of butter, four ounces of sugar, 
half a teaspoonful of salt and a heaping saltspoonful of mixed ground 
spice. When cool whisk into it four well-beaten egg3. Peel and slice a 
dozen fine, firm peaches, add to them the mixture, pour it into a bread or 
deep pudding mold, place it in a pot of hot water and steam three hours. 
Serve either hot or cold, and with an egg or cream sauce, flavored with 
lemon or vanilla. Canned fruits of all kinds may be used when fresh fruits 
cannot be obtained.— C. 

Spanish Fruit Pudding.— Line a baking-dish with a light puff paste, 
add a layer of shredded pineapple and cover it with powdered sugar ; add a 
layer of sweet oranges sliced, strew over them a thin layer of sugar; next 
add a layer of sliced bananas with sugar strewn over them. Repeat the 
process until the dish is full. Cover the dish with a light puff paste and 
bake to a delicate brown.— C. 

Cold Apple Pudding.— Sift one pint of Graham flour, add one quarter 
of a teaspoonful of salt. Beat the whites and yolks of four eggs separ_ 
ately, add the yolks and half a pint of rich cream, a pint of strained apple 
sauce, six ounces of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, and beat in the whites of 
the eggs. Pour into a very deep pan, or, better still, a deep mold, which 
place in a pan partly full of hot water; let it simmer on the back of the 
range for three-quarters of an hour, then put pan and pudding in the oven 
for about the same length of time. When done, it may be served hot or 
packed in ice and served cold with a cream sauce.— C. 

Cold Scotch Pndding.— Soak a pint of grated oatmeal crackers in one 
and a half pints of milk ; beat the yolks qi three eggs with a heaping table- 
spoonful of powdered sugar, a saltspoonful of salt, and the grated rind of 
a lemon ; mix with the soaked crackers. Beat the whites of the eggs with 
a tabiespoonful of powdered sugar, whibk into the mixture, pour into 
small molds (a little over half full) and set them in a pan containing warm 
water, place on top of range half an hour, then put the pan in the oven 
and bake for forty-five minutes.— C. 

Cocoannt Pudding.— To one fresh cocoanut, grated fine, add four 
ounces of sugar, half a saltspoonful of nutmeg and a saltspoonful of salt. 
Beat thoroughly the yolks of five eggs, add to them four ounces of fresh 
butter, and whisk all the ingredients until they become a creamy mass. 
Pour into a buttered pudding-dish and bake thirty minutes. Prepared 
cocoanut may be used if the fresh cocoanut is not at hand. 



216 RECIPES. 



Spanish Apple Pudding.— Cover the "bottom of a pudding-dish with a 
light puff paste and Jay on it a layer of thin slices of apples, strew over 
them a tablespoonful of sugar and a saltspoonful of ground cinnamon, 
another layer of sliced apples sprinkled with a tablespoonful of sugar and 
a saltspoonful of ground cloves, another layer of apples, sugar and a salt- 
spoonful of grated nutmeg. Cover with a top crust with a hole in its 
center. Mix together a gill of white grape vinegar and two ounces of 
sugar, pour it in the hole and bake thirty minutes.— G. 

Jelly Pnddings.— Scald one large cup of rich milk, or milk and sweet 
cream together, and pour over two cups of very finely rolled biscuit or 
bread crumbs. Beat until cold, then stir in the beaten yolks of four eggs, 
sweetened with two large spoonfuls of sugar. Then stir in the beaten 
whites and fill large cups half full of the batter. Bake in a quick oven half 
an hour. When done, invert each pudding on a dessert plate, and with a 
sharp knife make an incision in the side, in which insert a liberal spoonful 
of jelly or peach preserve, or any other favorite preparation of fruit. Eat 
warm— not hot— with sweetened cream. 

Orange Sponge.— Squeeze the juice and pulp of three oranges into a 
bowl, add the juice of half a lemon, three ounces of sugar, one and a half 
pints of cold water; lei it come to a boil, then strain. Dissolve two table- 
spoonfuls of corn starch in a little cold water, rub it smooth and add it to 
the strained juices, then let it toil fifteen minutes to cook the corn starch. 
Then set it aside, and when cold piace it in the ice box to become quite 
cold. Beat up the whites of three eggs to a foam, whip it into the corn 
starch and it is ready for use.— C 

Lemon Pudding.— Moisten half a pint of fine farina with a gill of cold 
milk, add to it a pint of hot milk and st»r well. Add a saltspoonful of salt 
and two ounces of butter, stir until quite smooth and thick, and allow it to 
become cold. Beat together four eggs, six ounces of sugar, the grated 
rind and juice of two lemons, and. a dash of ground cinnamon; stir into 
this mixture the cold farina, a small quantity at a time, then pour into a 
buttered pudding-dksh and bake forty minutes.- C. 

Chocolate Pudding.— Add one ounce of grated chocolate to a quart of 
miik, boil thoroughly, flavor with vanilla, set aside to cool, stir in the yolks 
of six eggs, well beaten, b-,ke in a buttered pudding-dish until it stiffens 
like custard. Beat the whites of six eggs with a tablespoonful of pow- 
dered sugar to a stiff froth, spread over the top of the pudding, return to 
the oven and brown quickly.— C. 

Steamed Peach Pndding.— Sift together one pint of flour, two heap- 
ing teaspoonfuls of baking powder, aud two s^ltspoonfuls of salt. Boat 
together the yolks of two eggs with three ounces of sugar and half a pint 
of milk, add this to the flour. Beat the whites of the eggs to a froth and 
add it also. Cut six nice peaches, dredge them with flour, and add to the 
mixture, pour into a buttered pudding mold and steam two a half hours. 
Send to table with cream sauce— C, 



RECIPES. 217 



Peach. Meringue.— Peel six ripe peaches, split or cut them in halves, 
and remove the stones. Beat half a pint of rich cream in a bowl sur- 
rounded with ice until it is three times its original quantity. Dredge the 
peaches with sugar. Beat the whites of four eggs until very stiff and add 
four ounces of powdered sugar gradually. Cover an oven board with white 
paper and drop the beaten eggs on it by tablespoonfuls ; place them over 
the range for ha]f an hour, then brown slightly in a slow oven, remove the 
soft part when they are cold and put half a peach in the cavity. Place 
mound3 of whipped cream on top, and serve. The meringues may be filled 
with the cream, and half a peach placed in the center.— C. 

Apple and Tapioca Pudding.— Put a teacupful of tapioca into a 
quart of warm water before breakfast; set it where it will keep warm for 
three hours; stir it from the bottom once or twice and keep covered. 
Pare and cut in thin slices five or six nice tart apples, and lay them in the 
bottom of the pudding-dish ; add a heaped cupful of sugar, dissolved in 
hot water, to the tapioca ; stir well together, and pour over the apples ; 
bake slowly for two hours. To be eaten with whipped cream flavored 
with a little lemon or orange. Good either hot or cold. 

Graham Gem Pudding. — Take six cold gems— yesterday's baking; 
break them into small pieces, and pour over them one pint of cold water, 
cover and let them soften for an hour, then add a pint and a half of new 
milk, a handful of seeded raisins or currants, one beaten egg t and one tea- 
spoonful of baking powder. Mix half a cup of sugar and the baking pow- 
der thoroughly together, before putting them with the other ingredients. 
Stir together well and quickly, butter the pudding-dish with cold, sweet 
butter, and bake in a quick oven three-fourths of an hour. 

Steamed Graham Pudding.— Sour milk or fresh buttermilk, five cup- 
f uls, brown sugar, two cups, butter, half a cup, two teaspoonf uls of soda, 
two eggs, half a pound of seeded dates. Graham flour enough to make a 
thin batter. The dates should be chopped fine and rolled in flour before 
they are put into the batter. Steam for three hours. Make a sauce of 
milk and corn starch, or eat with good cream. 

Apple and Bread Pudding.— Break and rub bread fine, peel and chop 
good, sweetish apples— sweet apples keep their place and take a little 
longer to cook ; butter a pudding dish and put a layer of apples an inch 
deep, then a layer of crumbs not quite so thick, then another layer of 
apples, alternating, till the dish is full, bread being last. A little butter 
may be added to each layer of bread, or a tablespoonful of cream sprinkled 
over each. Or, better still, dissolve one cupful of sugar in one of hot 
water, add a dessert-spoonful of butter, pour over the pudding and let it 
soak half an hour, cover with a tin and bake thirty minutes. Serve with 
sweet sauce or cream. 

Cherry Pudding.— One quart of scalded milk, one pint of cornmeal, 
half a pint of Graham flour, or a little less of fine flour, four eggs well 
beaten, a teaspoonful of baking powder, and a pint of ripe cherries ; wash 
and pick out the imperfect cherries, leave the seeds in, drain off all the 



218 RECIPES. 

water, and roll the cherries, while damp, in some of the flour. Stir all to* 
gether, put in a pudding-mold or bag-, and boil two hours. To be eaten 
with sugar and cream. The late black cherries are the best for this pud- 
ding; they are not so juicy, retain their shape, and diffuse a rich purple 
tint around them, which makes the pudding handsome for the table. 

Poor Man's Pudding.— One cup of flour, one cup of cornmeal, one 
tablespoonful of baking powder -mixed well with the meal and flour, 
two cups of rich milk, one cup of molasses, one cup of currants washed 
and rolled in flour, one tablespoonful of butter rubbed evenly and cold 
into the pudding-mold. Mix the ingredients well together, put into the 
mold and boil three hours. Be careful to keep the pudding -mold upright 
in the boiling kettle. Bo not allow the water to stop boiling at any time, 
or to boil over the top of the mold, as it is almost impossible to have the 
lid so close that water will not get in and quite spoil the pudding. When 
done, turn the pudding out of the mold into a broad platter and serve hot 
with cream sauce. 

Cottage Puddings.— One-half cup of sugar, one egg, one cupful of 
cream, one pint of flour, one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder. 
Bake in a cake pan, To be eaten with a hot, sweet sauce, or with cold 
cream. ♦ 

Cold Cottage Pudding.— Sift together half a pound of flour, two tea- 
spoonfuls of baking-powder, and a heaping saltspoonf ul of salt. Beat two 
eggs and add to them four ounces of sugar, three tablespoonfuls of 
creamed butter and two gills of milk. Add the mixture to the flour, pour 
into small molds and bake half an hour. When cool, place them on ice 
until wanted, and serve with a cream sauce.— C. 

Graham Birdsnest Pudding. — This pudding is made by laying in a 
deep dish nice quartered apples, and pouring over them a thin batter made 
of flour, one teacup of sour cream, and about one-third of a teaspoon- 
ful of soda. Water may be used for wetting if a tablespoonful of melted 
butter is used for shortening. Bake in a moderate oven till the apples are 
thoroughly cooked. 

Tapioca Custard Pudding.— Soak two tablespoonfuls of tapioca over 
night in cold water ; when ready to make custard, boil one quart of milk, 
and while boiling add beaten yolks of three eggs, three-fourths of a cup of 
sugar, and the tapioca ; turn in the dish you wish to serve it in ; have the 
beaten whites ready, sweetened a little and spread over top ; put in oven 
and just brown a little. Eat cold. 

Delmonico Pudding.— Three tablespoonfuls of corn starch, one quart 
of boiling milk, three eggs, whites and yolks separated. Mix yolks with 
corn starch, and add milk gradually. Let it boii. Beat whites to a stiff 
froth, sweeten. Put corn starch in pudding-dish, cover with frosting and 
set in oven to brown. To be eaten cold 

Nice Cheap Pudding.— One quart of milk, four tablespoonfuls of 
flour, four eggs, six tablespoonfuls of sugar, nutmeg. Steam three-fourths 
of an hour. 



% RECIPES. 219 

Sago Pudding.— One dozen tart apples, one and a half cups of sago, 
soak the sago till soft, peel and core the apples, and place in a dish, fill 
the apples with sugar, pour the sago over, and bake till the apples are 
cooked. 

Sago Birdsnest Pudding*— This pudding is made by laying quartered 
fresh apples, or stewed dried ones, in a pan till about half full, and pour- 
ing over them the sago, prepared as for a thin mush then bake in a moder- 
ate oven till the apples are cooked, say an hour or more, according to the 
the size of the pudding. 

Indian Padding.— Two small teacups of cornmeal, half a cupful of 
superfine flour, one cup of syrup, half a teaspoonfui of salt. Scald three 
quarts of milk, and stir into the above. Let it stand half an hour, stir it 
again. Bake quickly until it boils, then slowly about two hours. 

Plain Indian Pudding.— Take two quarts of new milk, one cupful of 
yellow Indian meal, haif a cupful of molasses and a teaspoonfui of ginger 
and the same amount of salt. Take out one cupful of the milk and stir to- 
gether the remainder of the ingredients to boil. Cook thoroughly, stirring 
to prevent burning. Put in an oiled pudding-dish, with or without a cupful 
of raisins. After baking half an hour, stir up from the bottom and pour in 
the cupful of cold milk, which makes a delicious whey. It should be good 
enough to eat with sauce, and is excellent cold or warm. 

« Everyday " Pudding 1 .— Half a loaf of stale home-made brown bread 
soaked in a quart of milk ; four eggs ; four tablespoonf uls of Hour ; a little 
fruit, dried or fresh, is a great addition. Steam or boil three-fourths of an 
hour. 

Serve with the following sauce : Butter, sugar and water, thickened with 
a little corn starch, and flavored with lemon juice and rind. 

j ,V ' A. Simple Cornmeal Pudding.— Stir into a quart of boiling milk the 

-^jebites of two eggs, three heaping spoonfuls of meal and half a cup of sugar 

well beaten together. Cook five minutes, Stirling constantly ; remove from 

the fire and add the whites, beaten to a stiff froth. Pour into a pudding 

dish and bake one hour in a moderate oven. Serve with cream and sugar. 

Batter Pudding.— Take half a pound of flour ; one pint of milk; two 
eggs and one teaspoonfui of baking powder. Rub the baking powder quite 
smooth ; mix it well with the flour, then stir in nearly half of the milk, and 
beat it perfectly smooth ; add the remainder of the milk and the eggs, well 
beaten ; boil the pudding one and a half hours in a buttered basin, and serve 
with sweet sauce ; or put it in a buttered dish, and bake it in a quick oven. 

Baked Batter Pudding, with Fruit.— Take a half-pound of flour; 
one pint of milk ; the yolks of four, and the whites of two eggs, and half a 
teaspoonfui of baking powder. Rub the powder till smooth, mixing it well 
with the flour, and as much milk as will make it a stiff batter ; heat it till 
quite smooth, then add the remainder of the milk and the eggs, well beaten, 
with the flour, and as much milk as will make it a stiff batter ; beat it till 
quite smooth, then add the remainder of the milk, and the eggs, well 



220 RECIPES. 



beaten. Put some apples, cut as for a pie, into a buttered dish, pour th? 
batter over, and bake in a moderately hot oven. Damsons, currant^ 
gooseberries, or rhubarb may be used in the same way. 



CAKES. 

Cake is good and wholesome when it is plain and simple. It is bad when 
it is too rich and compounded of too many ingredients. It may be eaten 
freely like bread in the former case. Children are fond of cake. It ought 
to be so made that they can eat of it without injury to digestion. Al- 
ways have the family cake made of the best coarse flour. Most of the fol- 
lowing- recipes are such as have been used in our Institution for years ; a 
few are favorites at other institutions. All may be varied to suit indi- 
vidual tastes, keeping in mind simplicity and healthf ulness. 

For Forty or Fifty Cookies. — Four cups of sugar, one cup of butter, 
two cups of sour milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and brown 
flour sufficient to let the dough be rolled thin. Work them but little, and 
bake in a quick oven. 

Cup Cake for Seventy-live or Eighty.— Four cups of sugar (white), 
one of butter, four eggs; rub these together, then add three teacups of 
sweet milk, ten teaspoonfuls of baking powder, mixed with the Vhole 
meal flour, of which use sufficient to make all into a stiff batter. 

Brop Cakes.— Put six well-beaten eggs into a pint of thick cream, add 
a little salt, and make it into a thick batter with flour. Bake it in rings 
or in small cups fifteen or twenty minutes. The same may be made with 
Graham flour. 

Delicious Corn Cake Gems.— One quart of cornmeal ; two quarts of 
sweet milk ; two heaped teaspoonfuls of cream yeast, and two eggs. Bake 
in a quick oven. 

Strawberry Sfiortcake.— To a quart of flour (enough for two cakes), 
put three heaping spoonfuls of baking powder. Sift together thoroughly 
and rub in one ounce of butter. Wet with a pint of sweet milk, using a 
spoon. The mixture will be somewhat softer than common pie-crust. Do 
not try to mold or roll out the dough. Spread it on tin pie-plates by pat- 
ting with the hand. It should be about an inch in thickness. Bake slowly 
at first until the cakes have had time to rise, then increase the heat and 
expect them to be done within twenty-five minutes. Split the cakes hot 
from the oven, spread the halves with butter, and cover them with the 
fruit, previously sweetened. Place one on the other (the upper half is re- 
versed, of course,) or each on a plate by itself. It is a good rule to sugar 
your strawberries before you begin to make your cake, and if they are 
large, or not very ripe, it is best to cut them in two, or mash them a little. 
Don't calculate for tbese cakes standing on the stove hearth a minute. 
They should be served like griddle-cake— no time lost between the oven 
and the table. Observe these rules and you will have a dish as dainty as 
Izaak Walton's Baked Fish, of which he said, " It is too good for any but 



RECIPES. 221 

very honest people." When strawberries are gone, red raspberries are 
very nice in their place. White currants are also very much liked as a 
substitute, and peach shortcake is hardly surpassed by the strawberry it- 
self, if the peaches are first-rate. All these fruits should be prepared by 
sweetening" an hour or two before wanted. 

Peach Shortcake.— Prepare the shortcake as for strawberry. Peel and 
slice the peaches, arrange the slices with sugar as fast as peeled, and ar- 
range in the unual manner in layers on top of the shortcake. The top layer 
should be covered with a whipped cream to make it more palatable.— C. 

Ornn^e Cake.— Two cups of sugar, the yolks of five eggs and whites of 
four, half a cupful cf water, two cups of flour, one teaspoonful of baking- 
powder, and the juice and grated rind of one orange. Spread and bake 
on tin pie-plates. This quantity should cover six plates. Make a jelly 
by beating the white of one egg to a froth, and adding to it three-quarters 
of a pound of powdered sugar, and the grated rind and juice of another 
orange. Spread the jelly on the cakes and lay them one above another in 
three tiers- 

Almond Cake.— Blanch and pound in a mortar eight ounces of sweet 
and one ounce of bitter almonds; add a few drops of rose water or white 
of egg every few minutes to prevent oiling; add six tablespoonfuls of flour 
and work it thoroughly with the mixture. Gradually add a quarter pound 
of creamed butter ; beat the mixture constantly while preparing the cake, 
or it will be heavy. Put a buttered paper inside of a buttered tin, pour in 
the mixture, and bake in a quick oven ; cover the cake with paper if the 
oven is too hot.— C- 

Cotoanut Cake.— Three fourths of a pint of powdered sugar, one ounce 
of butter, half a pint of grated cocoanut, one pint of flour, one tablespoon- 
ful of baking powder and milk enough to make a stiif batter. Mix, and 
bake in buttered pans ; sprinkle dry cocoanut on top.— C. 

Raisin Cake.— Beat well three eggs, to which add one cup of sugar and 
one cup of butter. After these ingredients are well beaten, stir in a half- 
cup of milk, and lastly, the whole meal flour which has been sifted with 
two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and into which has been stirred one 
heaping cupful of chopped and seeded raisins. This will prevent the fruit 
falling to the bottom.— C. 

White Cake.— ^ream together one cup of sugar and half a cup of but- 
ter, to which stir in first, the beaten yolks of two eggs, then the beaten 
whites, and lastly, two cups of flour into which has been sifted a heaping 
teaspoonful of baking powder. At the last, £.dd flavoring of half a tea- 
spoon of vanilla or lemon. This cake can be varied, each time making a 
new variety. It may we baked in shallow tins as jelly cake or Washington 
pie, or, with the addition of a large cup of stoned raisins to the flour, it be- 
comes fruit cake. 

Delicate Cake.— When making cocoanut-custard use the whites of the 
eggs as follows : One cup of white sugar ; five tablespoonfuls of butter ; 
the whites of six eggs ; one teacup of sweet milk ; three cups of prepared 



222 RECIPES. 

flour, or to the same quantity of common flour add one teaspoonful of 
soda, and two of cream of tartar sifted in the flour. Flavor with orange, 
lemon or vanilla. 

Note. — So says Mrs. Beecher : " We would substitute a cupful of sweet, 
rich cream, instead of the milk and butter. Also, baking- powder instead of 
prepared flour, or soda and cream of tartar." We give in this connection 
a recipe for cocoanut custard, as the two can be more economically made 
at the same baking. 

Cocoanut Custard.— One pound of grated cocoanut ; cne pint of rich 
milk, and six ounces of sugar. Beat the yolks of six eggs and stir them 
into the milk with the nut and sugar. Put into a f aritia-kettle or small pail 
which you can set in a kettle of boiling water. Stir all the time till very 
smooth and thick ; as soon as it comes to a boil take off and pour into cups. 
Ground Rice-Ca Ike. —Break five eggs into a stew pan, which place in 
another, containing hot water; whip the eggs for ten minutes till very 
light ; mix in by degrees, half a pound of ground rice ; six ounces of pow- 
dered sugar; beat it well. Any flavor may bs introduced. Pour into a 
buttered pan and bake half an hour. 



MOLDED FARINACEA. 



Arrowroot.— Take four ounces of arrowroot, one quart of new milk, and 
four ounces of white sugar. Set a pint and a half of milk on the fire, adding 
the sugar; when boiling, put in the arrowroot, previously mixed till per- 
fectly smooth with half a pint of cold milk, and stir constantly till it has 
boiled three minutes; and pour it into a mold previously dipped in cold 
water. 

Barley.— Six ounces of Scotch barley; three pints and a half of water, 
and six ounces of sugar. Steep the barley twelve hours ; drain it, and pour 
the water, boiling, upon it; stew quickly in the oven in an earthenware 
j r, covered, till perfectly soft, and all the water is absorbed ; when about 
half enough boiled, add the sugar, and a few drops of pure lemon juice; 
pour it into a mold, and let it stand to set. When boiled quickly, the above 
quantity requires two hours and a half, and is a much better color than 
when it is longer in preparation. 

Molded Sago.— Take five tablespoonfuls of sago ; one fourth pound of 
sugar, and a little pure lemon juice. Steep the sago a quarter of an hour 
in half a pint of cold water. Pour on it one and a half pints of boiling- 
water, and boil the whole in an earthen vessel in the oven about one hour, 
occasionally stirring it. Pour into molds or basins, and let it stand. When 
cold, turn it out, and serve with stewed fruit. 



RECIPES. 223 

Sago with Fruit.— Take four ounces of sago; half & pint of raspberry 
and currant juice (strained;, and six ounces of Joaf sugar. Wash the sago 
and steep it one hour in cold water ; strain off the water ; add the juice and 
boil gently a short time, stirring it occasionally, and adding the sugar, 
when clear, pour it into a mold; let it stand twelve hoars, and pour it on a 
flat dish. 

Tapioca.— Take three ounces of tapioca, two ounces of ground rice, one 
pint and a half of milk, and eight drops of almond-flavor. Wash the tapi- 
oca in water two or three times ; mix with the ground rice ; add half a pint 
of cold milk, and let it remain thirty minutes, then add the remainder of 
the milk, and simmer it half an hour, stirring well the whole time ; add the 
almond-flavor, and pour it into a mold previously dipped in cold water. 

Cracked Wheat.— For a quart of the cracked grain have two quarts of 
water boiling in a smooth iron pot over a quick fire; stir in the wheat 
slowly; boil fast and stir constantly for the first half hour of cooking, or 
until it begins to thicken and "pop up;" then lift from the quick fire and 
place the pot where the wheat will cook slowly an hour longer. Keep it 
covered closely, stir now and then, and be careful not to let it burn at the 
bottom. 

Wheat cooked thus is much sweeter and richer than when left to soak 
and simmer for hours, as many think necessary. White wheat cooes the 
easiest. When ready to dish out, have your molds moistened with coid 
water, cover lightly, and set in a cool place. A handful of raisins added to 
the wheat is a good addition. Eat warm or cold, with milk and sugar, or 
fruit. 

Cold Oatmeal and Cre a m.— Farinaceous foods ore absolutely neces- 
sary during all seasons of the year, but in hot weather they are more ac- 
ceptable if prepared the night b fore and placed on ice until wanted. 

Remember that imported oatmeal requires from one to two hours steady 
cooking to make it suitable, while the prepared or partly cooked oatmeal 
c.in be made ready for use in from fifteen to twenty minutes, besides hav- 
ing other advantages. If the former is used, proceed as follows: Stir 
gradually into two quarts of boiling water, slightly salted, a pound of oat- 
meal ; boil steadily, care being used not to let it burn, which it is liable to 
do, as the water evaporates rapidly. While hot pour it into an oatmeal 
dish; and when cool placD on ice. The next morning, loosen the edjies 
with a knife and turn it out. It may be eaten with cream, sugar or milk, 
as may be preferred . - C. 

Apricots with. Rice.— Wash a pint of rice thoroughly, scald it with hot 
water, drain and cool ; add to the rice a quart of rich milk, a quarter of a 
pound of sugar and a saltspoonful of salt ; simmer gently an hour. When 
done, beat it with a wooden spoon. Wet an oval mold with water, press 
t>.e rice into it and keep on ice until wanted. Cut a dozen apricots in 
h. lives, remove the stones and boil the apricots in a syrup made of a pound 
of sugar, a pint of water, and the juice of two lemons. Turn the rice on a 
glass dish, arrange the apricots around it, pour the syrup over all (when 
cold} and serve.— C. 



224 RECIPES. 



Apples with Rice.— Wash a pint of rice thoroughly ; scald it with hot 
•water, drain and cool ; add to the rice a quart of rich milk, a quarter of a 
pound of sugar, and a saltspoonf ul of salt ; simmer gently an hour. When 
clone beat it with a wooden spoon. Wet an ova! mold with water; press 
the rice in it, and keep on ice until wanted. Peel, quarter and core five 
fine apples; put them in a stew pan with three half pints of water, tnree 
cloves, two slices of lemon, and half a pound of sugar (dissolve the sugar 
in the water first) ; simmer until the apples are tender but will not break 
when removed from the pan. When done let them cool, then arrange them 
around the rice which has been turned out of the mold, and turn the 
syrup over the rice.— C. 

A Nice Strawberry Dessert.— A nice dessert is made by filling coffee- 
cups loosely with strawberries, and pouring over them Graham-flour mush ; 
or instead, thicken sweet boiling milk to a consistency which is thin 
enough to fill the interstices between the berries, and yet thick enough to 
be firm when cool. Turn out and serve up, with cream and sugar. 



RECIPES FOR WHOLESOME AND 
DELICIOUS DRINKS. 



The necessity of providing varied wholesome and delicious beverages is 
quite as important as the provision of nutritious foods. Indeed, by such 
means the cause of temperance may be promoted quite as well as by any 
other method. Of course, water is the beverage which nature supplies in 
the greatest abundr _ice, and when pure and sparkling from spring or well, 
it is a perfect drink- Water for drinking purposes should be soft, well 
aerated, and free from all micro-organisms or solutions of animal or veget- 
able matter. Pure water promotes health in a remarkable manner, and it 
can rarely be indulged in by sick or well to their injury. That which con- 
tains the germs of disease, or sewerage, or impurities of various kinds, is a 
most dangerous drink. 

It is believed by many that the drinking of ice water is injurious. No 
doubt the taking of a large quantity of very cold water into the stomach 
wiaen one is overheated or exhausted, or when one does not generate heat 
rapidly and abundantly, is injurious. Such may, with advantage, use hot 
water. But moderately cold water, if pure, is a wholesome drink for 
healthy persons of all ages. The degree of temperature most suitable i3 
that of deep well or spring water. Those who live in cities and are obliged 
to use the water provided, which in summer is quite warm, need not 
fear using sufficient pure ice to make its temperature such as will be agree- 
able. Ice water need not necessarily be as cold as the ice itself. The 
purity of the ice is as important as the purity of the water irseif. 

Water may be purified first by boiling. This kills any micro-organism 
in it, drives off poisonous gases, if there be any, and causes a considerable 



RECIPES. 225 

part of the Carbonate of Lime in it to be deposited. To remove visible or 
mechanical impurities, only good niters should be used, but it is import- 
ant that they be kept cleau, otherwise about as much harm as good 
will result. Third, by distillation, which renders the water practically 
pure, soft, and free from all poisons. It may be aerated after distilling 
and cooled with ice. Fourth, by adding three or four drops of Sesqui- 
chloride of Iron to a gallon, and letting it stand a few hours in a large glass 
vessel. Not more than this should be added. The iron coagulates all 
organisms and other albuminous matter in the water aad falls to the 
bottom in a thick dark sediment carrying them with it. The iron does not 
remove the hardness, but the water otherwise is remarkably pure. 

Water at Meals.— Many hygienists object to drinking water at meals. 
If it is taken simply to wash down the food and thereby save the trouble of 
chewing it, this practice can only be condemned ; but no other harm can 
come from the drinking of pure water at meals. The idea, that it weakensi 
by dilution, the gastric juice, is not true. As the fluids of the food and 
the products of digestion are rapidly absorbed or passed on to the duoden- 
um, the addition of a small amount of soft water actually favors digestion, 
rather than retards it. So, a glass of water at the end of a meal, and an- 
other a half hour or so later, will often prove very beneficial. 

I will give here some results of recent labratory studies on the effects of 
temperature on digestion, which have a practical value. The normal tem- 
perature of the stomach is about 100°. It may be heightened or lowered 
slightly and temporarily by hot or cold drinks. At about 54°, digestion 
with pepsin practically ceases. A pint of ice water, if taken into the stom- 
ach during a meal, would reduce the temperature in a not very vigorous 
person so that at least a half hour's time, and perhaps more, would be re- 
quired to restore it. During this time digestion would not cease, but 
would go on more tardily than it ought to . Some experiments in artificial 
digestion show that at a temperature of 122° to 130° F. the digestion of albu- 
menoids proceeds at its maximum rate. Above 130° the rate diminishes, 
and at 145° it ceases altogether. Artificial digestion is about four times 
slower at 102° than at 105° F. From this we may infer that if the same law 
prevails in the stomach, hot water taken at meal times, would, slightly at 
least, facilitate digestion, and there is little doubt but that this is the case 
in delicate, bloodless persons whose powers of manufacturing heat are 
small. This may, to some extent, explain why hot drinks at meal-time are 
so universally sought by a large class of persons. The hot water cure for 
dyspepsia and many nervous diseases has its explanation here. As a gen- 
eral rule, people take their heartiest meal after their day's work is done. 
In the morning the stomach is weak, the mouth tastes badly and the appetite 
is capricious. A glass of hot water,taken a half-hour before breakfast, stim- 
ulates it, washes away the accumulated mucuous, and, raising the tempera- 
ture of the stomach above the normal, makes the gastric juice more 
active and digestion better. If the person, however, is strong, a glass of 
pure, soft, cold spring water will be quite as beneficial and act as a tonic, 
like a cold bath on the skin, and a good reaction after it. Which is prefer- 



226 RECIPES. 

able must be decided by circumstances. For<the young and vigorous, I 
favor the cold water, and for the feeble and bloodless, the hot. 

It was formerly believed that hot drinks were injurious because of their 
injury to the pepsin of the gastric juice. It was taught, and still is in some 
books, that at a temperature of about 102° F. it became inert ; we now know 
that this is not the case, but the reverse. A person cannot drink water hot 
enough to injure the pepsin of the stomach ; the sensitive mouth refuses 
to receive it. 

There is one other advantage of drinking moderately cold water at meals 
which I will mention. Under digestion it was explained how the digestion 
of starch is accomplished in part by the ptyaline of the saliva in the mouth. 
Starch digestion, it has hitherto been believed, practically ceases in the 
stomach, but some recent experiments go to show that the acid present in 
the stomach at the beginning of digestion is not the same as that present 
later on and instead of hindering, actually promotes the action of the pty- 
aline on the starch of the food. If cold water is taken during meal time, 
the acidity of the stomach is diminished and delayed until the ptyaline has 
completely acted on the starch. As we have already seen in Chapter III. by 
far the larger portion of our food is starch, and if this is not properly con- 
verted by the plyaline of the saliva, its presence in the stomach is a 
serious hindrance to the digestion of the albuminious material. 



BEVERAGES FROM FRUITS. 



Sometimes it becomes desirable to provide drinks containing a small 
amount of refreshing nourishment. The variety of beverages of this kind 
is very great, and their number can be extended almost without limit. 
Fruits furnish the best material for them, and the following recipes will be 
found to answer every purpose. 

Put a gallon of water on to boil ; cut up one pound of tart apples, each 
one into quarters, put them into the water, and boil them until they can be 
pulped ; pass the liquor through a collender, boil it up again with half a 
pound of sugar, scum, and bottle for use, care being taken not to cork the 
bottle, and to keep it in a cool place. 

Another way.— Bake the apples first, then put themin a gallon pan, add 
the sugar, and pour the boiling water over, let it get cold ; strain the liquor 
as above, and bottle. 

Apple Toast and "Water.— A piece of bread, slowly toasted until it is 
quite dark, added to the above, makes a very nice and refreshing drink for 
invalids. 

Apple Barley Water.— A quarter of a pound of pearl barley, instead of 
toast, added to the above, and boiled for one hour, makes a very nice 
drink. 

Apple Rice "Water.— Half a pound of rice, boiled in the above until in 
pulp, passed through a collender, and drunk when cold. 



.RECIPES. 227 

All kinds of fruits may be used in the same way. 

Figs and French plums are excellent ; so are raisins. 

A trifle of ginger, when desired, may be used. 

For Spring Drink.— Rhubarb, in the same quantities, and prepared in 
the same way as apples, adding more sugar, is very refreshing and nourish- 
ing. 



KRUIT SYRUPS FOR DRINKS. 

Currant Syrup.— Take four quarts of red currants, mash them, and add 
two quarts of water ; let them stand till next day, then pass through a jelly- 
bag, and to every pint of juice add one pound of loaf sugar. Boil it gently 
for twenty minutes, removing all the scum as it rises and when cold, 
bottle. To make a currant or any other fresh fruit drink, put a small wine 
glassful of the syrup to a tumbler of cold water. In all cases, the best fresh 
fruit, free from stalks, etc, should be used, and then crushed with a wood- 
en, (not metal,) instrument. The currant contains much malic acid, which 
is very refreshing, Tightly cork and bottle. 

Cherry Syrup.— Pick four pounds of the best cherries from the stalks; 
put all into a mortar, and pound the fruit, shells and kernels thoroughly. 
Add the juice of three lemons, then four quarts of water, and boil gently 
for half an hour, and strain. To every quart of juice add two pounds of 
sugar and boil twenty minutes. When cold, bottle. 

Raspberry Syrup.— Mash the raspberries, and to every quart add one 
pint of water. Let them remain till the next day ; then run through the 
bag, and to every pint of juice add one pound and three-quarters of sugar. 
Boil for twenty minutes, and, when cold, bottle. 

Blackberry Syrup.— Blackberries may be treated in the same way. 
Every family should put up a supply of blackberry syrup to use in cases 
of diarrhea, dysentery, etc. 

Strawberry Syrup.— This is made in the same way. 

Raspberry or Strawberry Syrup. (Another way.)— Take two quarts 
of fresh, ripe raspberries or strawberries, five pounds of powdered loaf 
sugar, and add two and a half pints of water. Spread the powdered sugar 
over 1 he fruit, and let it stand four or fi^e hours; press out the juice, 
strain, put on the fire to rise to a boiling point, and again strain. When 
cold, bottle. 

Another way.— Mash the fresh fruit ; press out and strain the juice; 
and to every quart of it add three pounds and a half of powdered sugar. 
Heat to a boiling point, and when cold, bottle. 

Pineapple Syrup.— Pare a ripe pineapple of the outward skin, then cut 
it up and put it into a mortar and mash it, adding a pint of water by de- 
grees to every pound of pulp ; strain, and then add one pound of sugar to 
every pint of juice boil for twenty minutes, and, when cold, bottle. 



228 RECIPES. 

Nectarine or Peach Syrup.— -Take one pound of nectarines or peaches 
free from stones, and mash them in a mortar. Remove the pits from the 
stones, mash, and add to the fruit. Now add one quart of water and strain. 
Put in two pounds of sugar, bring it to a boil, and when cold, bottle. 

Grape Syrup.— Mash a pound of ripe grapes, and add one quart of 
water. Then filter through a bag, add two pounds of sugar, and bring to a 
boil. When cold, bottle. 

Watermelon Syrup.— Put one pound of melon into a mortar and mash 
it fine. Add one quart of water and the juice of two lemons ; filter through 
a bag, and then add two pounds of sugar. Now bring to a boil, and when 
cold, bottle. 

Orange or Lemon Syrups.Press out the juice of the fruit, to each pint 
of which add one and a half pounds of loaf sugar, and the peel of one 
orange or lemon. Boil ten minutes, strain, and seal in cans as fruit is 
sealed. It is excellent either as a flavoring for puddings and pies, or to use 
for a summer drink when dissolved in a little water. 



LEMONADES. 



Lemonade from Preserved Lemon Juice. — Preserve your juice 
when lemons are plenty and cheap, by adding one pound of refined sugar 
to each pint of juice, stirring the mixture till dissolved, when it should be 
bottled. Put a teaspoonf ul of salad-oil on the top to keep out the air, then 
cork closely. When wanted for use, apply a bit of cotton to the oil to ab- 
sorb it. To a goblet of water add sufficient of this juice to suit the taste. 
Every family should preserve lemon juice in this way for times of need. If 
hot lemonade is desired, use hot instead of cold water. 

Tea Lemonade.— To a cup of weak cold tea add the juice of half a 
lemon. It makes a pleasant beverage for those who use tea. 

Pineapple Lemonade.- Peel twelve fresh lemons very thinly, squeeze 
the juice from them; strain out the seeds; pour on the peel a little hot 
water; let it stand a little while to infuse, covering closely. When cool, 
strain this water into the lemon-juice, adding a pound of loaf sugar. Put 
the whole into a decanter to be kept cool for present use. Use two table- 
spoonfuls for a glass of lemonade. To add to the delicacy of the beverage, 
add a slice of pineapple to each glass. To add to the appearance, add a 
thin slice of lemon. Cool, delicious, wholesome* 

Orange and Lemonade.— Peel one large fresh lemon and six fresh 
oranges. Cover the peel with boiling water, and let it infuse in a closely- 
covered dish. Boil one pound of sugar in a pint of water, till a syrup is 
formed, skimming off any impurities, strain the peel-water, add it to the 
syrup when cold, and add the juice strained, stir well, and add cold water 
till it makes a pleasant drink. These methods of making drinks are more 
troublesome than the common way, but the result in the end is better. 



RECIPES. 229 

Common Lemonade.- Gut three large fresh lemons in very fine slices, 
taking out the pips. Add half a pound of white sugar and about two quarts 
of water. Bruise well together and stir, and it is ready for use. 

Hot Lemonade.— Hot lemonade is an excellent drink when one has been 
exposed to the cold, or in the beginning of a chill. It is made the same as 
cold lemonade, except by using hot instead of cold water. 

English Lemonade.- Pare a number of lemons, according to the quan- 
tity of drink you wish to make. Pour boiling water on one quarter of the 
peel, and let it infuse. Boil your sugar to the consistency of a rich syrup, 
adding the white of an egg whipt in. When it boils pour in a little cold 
water to stop it, then let it boil again, when the pan should be taken off to 
cool and settle, skimming oH any scum that comes to the top. AT hen 
settled, pour off the syrup into the peel water, now add the juice and as 
much water as is necessary to make a rich drink. Strain through a fine 
jelly bag. 

Lemoa Whey.— Boil as much milk as you require, squeeze a lemon, and 
add as much of the juice to the milk as will make it clear. Mix with hot 
water, and sweeten to taste. 

Lemon Water.— Cut a fresh lemon into very thin slices, put them in a 
pitcher, and pour on one pint of boiling water. Let it stand till cold, 
sweeten to taste, and use. 

Milk Lemonade to keep a day or two.— Pare twenty-four large fresh 
lemons as thin as possible; put eight of the rinds into three quarts of hot 
but not boiling water, and let it stand three hours. Rub fine sugar on the 
rind of the others, to absorb the essence. Put it in a china bowl, and 
squeeze the juice from the lemons over it, after which add a pound and a 
half of fine sugar. Now put the water to the above, and add three quarts 
of boiling milk. Mix and pour through a jelly bag. Use the day after 
it is made. 



DRINKS FROM VARIOUS 
SUBSTANCES. 



American Temperance Beverage.— Twelve lemons, one quart of ripe 
raspberries, one ripe pineapple, two pounds of the best refined sugar, three 
quarts of pure, soft cold, but not iced, water. Peel the lemons very thin, 
squeeze the juice of all over the peel, let it stand a few hours, add the two 
pounds of refined sugar, mash the raspberries with a half pound of the 
same sugar, cut the pineapple, after paring it, into very thin slices, and 
cover them with sugar. Strain the lemon-juice, crush the raspberries, 
press the pineapple, put the lemon-juice in a bowl, add the three quarts of 
water, add the crushed berries and pineapple, stir all together till the sugar 
is dissolved and it is ready to serve. This makes a delicious beverage. 

Cranberry Drink.— Mash a teacup fu I of clean, fresh cranberries in a 
cup of cold water. Boil a large spoonful of oatmeal and a slice of lemon in 



2"0 RECIPES. 

two quarts of water; add the cranberries and as much sugar as will sweet- 
ea to the taste. Boil for half an hour, and strain. 

Egg Tea.— Tt is a common but injurious practice with many persons to 
take a cup of hot tea on an empty stomach when tired and exhausted. An 
egg broken into a cup of weak tea, well beaten, and mixed with a glass of 
hot sweet milk, is nourishing and preferable to the pure tea. 

Tamarind Water.— Boil an ounce of tamarinds, three ounces of cur- 
rants, and two ounces of stoned raisins in three quarts of water, until near- 
ly a third has evaporated. 

Pure tamarind water is much used in fevers, and is considered a cool and 
refreshing beverage. It is made by dissolving the pulp in boiling water, 
and straining and cooling, or it may be prepared with barley water and 
treated in the same way. 

Strawberry Drink.— Boil a pound of sugar in a pint of water until it 
makes a syrup , Add a pint of strawberry juice, and boil gently for half an 
hour. Cool, and bottle in well corked bottles for future use. Add water 
to suit the taste. It is delicious. 

Strawberry Sherbet. -Crush to a pulp one and a half quarts of fine, 
ripe strawberries, stir in the juice of one large or two small lemons, and 
one tablespoonf ul of orange flower water and let the whole stand three or 
four hours. Strain through a cloth, add one pound and two ounces of good 
white sugar, stir till dissolved, then strain a second time> Set on the ice for 
immediate use, or heat and seal in cans. 

Pineapple ad e.— Pare and chop into small pieces one very ripe pine- 
apple ; put it in a pitcher and sprinkle with sufficient white sugar to make it 
palatable. Pour on boiling water, the quantity depending on the size of the 
pineapple, and set it on ice. Strain, add more sugar if needed, and serve 
cold. 

Raspberry Vinegar.— Over one quart of fresh raspberries in a stone 
vessel, pour a quart of good cider vinegar. At the end of two days, strain 
out the fruit and pour the vinegar over fresh berries, let it stand and strain 
again. To every pint of juice add a pound and a half of sugar. Use fresh, 
or seal in cans for summer drinks, or for flavoring. Strawberries or black- 
berries may be used in the same way. 

A Drink from Canned Strawberries.— A very delicious drink may be 
made from canned strawberries, water and sugar, when fresh fruit cannot 
be obtained. 

Blackberry Drink.— A delicious drink is made by stewing a pound of 
ripe blackberries in a quart of water, adding sufficient sugar to make the 
drink palatable, and pouring off the fluid. The berries may be eaten separ- 
ately • An equally pleasant drink may be made by stewing dried black- 
berries, and adding sugar to make it sufficiently sweet. The amount of 
•water and sugar may be decided bv the taste. 

Raspberry Drink.— Take fine red, ripe raspberries, crush them in a 
Sieve t and press out the juice, to each pint of which add a pint of syrup 



RECIPES. 231 



made by boiling a pound of sugar in a pint of water, the scum being re- 
moved. When the syrup and juice are mixed, boil slowly for an hour, cool, 
bottle, cork and seal. When wanted, dilute with water to the right con- 
sistency. A delicious drink is quickly and cheaply made by stewing dried 
raspberries in water, adding sugar to make the drink palatable. It can be 
made of fresh berries by crushing them in a bowl, and adding sugar and 
water to taste. Children are fond of drinks made in this way, and the 
variety is almost endless. 

Cherry Drink.— Mash twelve or fifteen large sour cherries, stones and 
all, in a goblet, pour on water till the glass is two-thirds full; add loaf- 
sugar sufficient to suit the taste. This is a cooling summer beverage, and 
an excellent diuretic. 

Plum Water.— Pour over half a pound of plums and a quarter of an 
ounce of ginger (if approved), two quarts of water ; boil till pulped, strain, 
boil again, skim well, and bottle for use. Keep cool. 

Gooseberry Water.— Gooseberries, served in the same way, make a 
good drink. The proportions are: gooseberries, one pound; water, one 
gallon ; ginger, one-half ounce; sugar, three- fourths of a pound. 

Mixed Cur rant ade.— Mash one pound of ripe red currants with half a 
pound of ripe red raspberries ; add a half pound of sugar and a gallon of 
cold water. Let it settle, and it is ready for use. If it is desirable to bottle 
it, strain. Dried currants and dried raspberries may be used, and so may 
currant jelly, when more convenient. 

Pure Currantade.— Press the juice from ripe currants, strain, add to 
each pint of the juice a pound of best white sugar ; add cold water to taste. 
Dried currants may be used, and the drink made at all seasons of the year. 

Mild Ginger Beer.— To six gallons of pure soft water put eight pounds 
of loaf sugar, the whites of three eggs, well beaten, and three ounces of 
best ginger. Powder the ginger finely, and mix with a little water before 
adding it to the mass. Boil gently for three fourths of an hour, removing 
meantime the scum that rises to the surface. Let it cool, add the juice of 
three large lemons and a tablespoonf ul of yeast. Now put it in a cask and 
bung it very tightly, and let it stand for about ten days, when it will 
be fit to use. 

Rhubarb Tea.— Boil two pounds of rhubarb stalks well sliced, for an 
hour in a quart of water, strain into a pitcher, add the 3uice of one lemon, 
and sugar to taste after it is cold. 

Apple Tea.— Peel, core, and quarter two pounds of apples, boil for half 
an hour in a quart of water, strain the liquor into a pitcher, add the juice of 
one lemon and loaf sugar to taste. Dried apples may be used. 

Dried Apple Barley Water.— Boil one pound of clean dried apples in 
one gallon of water for an hour. Boil a quarter of a pound of pearl barley 
one hour. Strain off the juice of the apples, add the barley water, put it 
into uncorked bottles, and keep for use in a cool place. 

Apple Water.— Cut come very tart apples fine, pour over them boiling 



232 RECIPES. 



water, and let them simmer gently for half an hour. Strain off the liquor 
and sweeten to taste. 

Fig Water.— Boil a quarter of a pound of best preserved figs with a half 
ounce of ginger in two quarts of water. When reduced to a pulp, strain 
off and bottle for use. 

Barley "Water.— Boil half a teacupful of the very best pearl barley in a 
quart of water till it is smooth, then strain it off into a mug, add the juice 
of a large lemon and loaf-sugar to the taste. The barley water should be 
strained through muslin before adding the lemon juice. 

Toast and Water, -Fill a quart pitcher with boiling water. Drop into 
it a slice of bread toasted very brown. Let it stand till cold. Remember, 
drop the bread in instead of pouring the water over it, otherwise it will be 
cloudy instead of clear. 

Fruit Juices.— The juice of the apple and pear, says Mr. Knight, may be 
used to great advantage in preparing beverages. He has frequently, he 
says, reduced it by boiling to the consistence of a weak jelly, in which state 
it has remained several years without the slightest apparent change, though 
intentionally exposed to variation of temperature. A large quantity of 
inspissated juice will take up but little space, and the addition of a few 
spoonfuls to a quart of water would at any time form a delicious, whole- 
some, refreshing drink, free from all intoxicating properties. Its cheap- 
ness would be greatly in its favor. On sea voyages it would be a great 
luxury. 

Capillaire.— Take fourteen pounds of sugar, break into it six eggs with 
the shells. Stir into it gradually three quarts of water. Set it over the fire 
and boil it, taking off the scum until only a light froth rises. Add one gill 
of orange-flower water, and two or three drops of vanilla ; strain through 
a jelly-bag, and when cold, bottle it, corking tightly. A wine glass in a 
tumbler of water is very refreshing. You may add to it slices of lemon, 
pineapple, crushed currants, or strawberries, as suits the taste and sea- 
son. 

Eau Sucre.— Water, with sufficient sugar to make it sweet, is a common 
beverage in France, and there considered very wholesome and refreshing. 
Ladies generally take it before bed time, for their complexions. 

Grape Drink.— This is one of the most delicious and refreshing drinks 
ever devised by thirsty mortals. It is made of nearly ripe grapes pounded, 
loaf-sugar, and water. It is strained until it becomes of the palest straw- 
colored amber, and then frozen. Delicious drinks may be made from 
grapes by stewing them with sugar and water. 

Grape Jam.— Pure grape jam pressed from the grapes and put on ice to 
cool, makes a very wholesome and nourishing drink. A couple of glasses 
of it, taken daily through the grape season, would be a mild form of the 
grape-cure, and benefit very many invalids. 

Grape growers often complain that they cannot dispose of their grape 
crops to be eaten, and consequently it must be made into wine to save it. 



RECIPES. 



233 



But one man in New York who sells grape juice during the season tells me 
the demand is so great that the entire surplus grape crop of the whole 
country might be disposed of this way," easily. 



ICES. 



Cream Sherbet.— Put the yolk of six eggs and a dessert-spoonful of 
orange-flower water into two quarts of cream . Boil it up once in a covered 
stew pan, then strain it. Add three-fourths of a pound of fine loaf-sugar 
and stir till dissolved. When cold set ii in ice, or freeze same as ice cream. 

Lemon Sherbet.— Dissolve a pound and a half of loaf-sugar in a quart 
of waler, take nine large lemons, wipe them clean, cut each in halves, 
squeeze them so as to get out both juice and some of the essence of the 
peel, stir into it the sugared water, strain and freeze the same as ice cream. 

Strawberry Sherbet.— Take one pound of best ripe strawberries, crush 
them to a smooth mass, then add three pints of water, the juice of one 
lemon, and a table-spoonful of orange-flower water. Let this stand three 
or four hours. Then put into another basin a pound of best refined sugar, 
stretch over it a cloth or napkin, and strain on the sugar and berries, 
squeezing out the juice as much as possible. Stir until the sugar is dis- 
solved, then strain again, and set on ice an hour before serving, in small 
tumblers. 



MILK. 



Milk is the natural food and drink of the young of all animals. It is 
secreted by a gland provided for the purpose by nature, directly from the 
serum of the blood, brought to the epithelia by the capillary vessels. 

Milk varies in composition, according to the breed of the animals, the 
season of the year, and the food they eat. 

The specific gravity of milk ranges from 1029 to 1033. Tt rarely goes much 
above this. Its average composition is as follows, with slight variations : 



Fat - - - - 

Caseine and Albumen 

Sugar - 

Ash - - - ■ 

Water - 



3-50 
4-75 

4-00 

.TO 

88. C7 



WOMAN. 



40.1 



7. CO 
2.1 



GOAT. 

6.11 

3-98 

4.68 

.79 

84.48 



234 RECIPES. 



Milk drawn in the afternoon is slightly richer than that drawn in the 
morning, and that drawn at the last of the milking is richer than that first 
drawn. 

Milk, while a suitable food for babes, is not sufficient for adults who work 
hard. Invalids may, however, be greatly benefited by using it. For them 
it should be taken as fresh from the cow as possible, and before it has had 
time to cool. 

The sugar in milk does not pass readily into alcoholic fermentation, as 
grape sugar does. Milk always curdles in the stomach, the whey consisting 
mainly of water, sugar, and mineral matter is quickly absorbed into the 
blood, and the gastric juice acting on the curd, reduces it to a fluid which 
is called a peptone, liberating the fat globules which were imprisoned in it. 
'j hese coalesce and are passed on to the duodenum, where any undigested 
curd is digested, and the fat emulsionized. 

The dangers in the use of milk are the following : 

If the cow is unhealthy, the milk partakes of her disease. If she has 
consumption, as many cows do, her milk may convey its germs to the 
p3r3on drinking it, providing he is weakly, or takes them so abundant- 
ly that they cannot be digested before leaving the stomach. This dan- 
ger has no doubt been underestimated . Milk may take up and multiply the 
germs of contagious diseases, as scarlet fever, typhoid fever, etc., and be 
the means of causing them in the persons who drink it. Several epidemics 
have been traced to this source, and no doubt many others have been over- 
looked. If any person with contagious disease is employed about a dairy, 
it is a crime to allow the milk to be sold and used by innocent persons. As 
in the use of water, so in the use of milk, great care is necessary to procure 
that which is pure. 

Mothers who do not furnish sufficient milk for their babes may increase 
it by preparing a gruel from oatmeal and barley flours, mixed in the propor- 
tion of one-third of the former to two-thirds of the latter, with equal parts 
of milk and water, and drinking it freely two or three times a day. As 
soon as the child is three or four months old, it may take oatmeal cream 
in addition to the mother's milk, if this be insufficient. 

Oat Meal Cream.— One of my correspondents writes the following 
letter concerning oatmeal cream: 

" v\ hen my baby was five months old, for the sake of my own health, I 
weaned him from the breast. 1 gave him cream and water, with a little 
sugar. In two weeks' time his bowels were so constipated that I fully real- 
ized that some change must be made in his food. I, therefore, made oatmeal 
gruel by boiling oatmeal in about twice the usual quantity of water 
for an hour and a half or two hours. When properly cooked, I poured it 
through a fine sieve. The part which passed through was, when cold, of 
the consistency of jelly. Then, in a quart cup, I mixed one half pint of 
thin cream and oatmeal gruel— about one gill of each— added one teaspoon- 
ful of white sugar, and filled the measure nearly full of bciling water. 
This food he relished, and in everyway it agreed with him ; and if there 
ever was a child that grew any faster than mine did when fed with o itmeai 
and milk, I think it would be a wonder. People would say: ; Kow your 



RECIPES. 235 

baby grows/ and in the same breath (when I told what his food was), 
would say: * Why. you'll starve him!' But by putting in less water I 
found it was too hearty, causing hirn to vomit: and once in possession of 
the key to my child's health nothing turned me aside. 

"My child is now a year aud a half old, his rood is three parts milk and 
one part gruel. He is very large, strong and active, has twelve teeth, 
weighs thirty pounds, and in all the time has not lost an ounce of flesh, even 
at the most trying time— warm weather. 

* k That I am enthusiastic in regard to oatmeal milk should not seem 
strange, and I wish, that, of the many mothers throughout the land, those 
who find it necessary to provide other than the natural food for their chil- 
dren, would try my recipe. They would find doctor's visits few and far 
between " 

Buttermilk.— Buttermilk is with many a favorite drink. I have found 
it to agree with persons of a feeble digestion when other foods did not. It 
contains much nourishment, as the following table from Pavy, shows : 

Nitrogenous matter 4.1 

Fatty matter 0.7 

Lactine 6.4 

Salts 0.8 

Water 88.0 

Buttermilk is well adapted to the corpulent, on account of the small 
amount of fat in it, and is a favorite remedy with some for Diabetes. 



TEA, 



1. Tea is not nutritious. The milk and sugar put into the cup to give it 
flavor are foods. 

2. Nearly all teas, whatever their price or name, are about of equal value, 
so far as their physiological effects are concerned. The higher priced sorts 
have, however, a much more delicate flavor, and for this reasou, are pre- 
ferred. 

3. Tea should, when used, be weighed rather than measured, as some 
kinds weigh more to the teaspoonful than others. Oolong, for instance, 
weighs 40 grains to the teaspoonful, Congou weighs 87, and Gunpowder tea 
weighs 125. 



THE EFFECTS OF TEA, 



1. Tea increases the amount of carbonic acid expired from the lungs. 

2, It increases the volume of air inspired, but not the rapidity of respir- 
ation, consequently it must increase the depth of breathing. 



236 



PRECIPES. 



3. Tea produces perspiration, especially if taken quite hot. 

4. Tea excites to increased action the muscular system. 

5. Tea powerfully excites the nervous system. 

The points enumerated accord with the experience of tea- drinkers, 
and if the subject were dropped here, the impression would be very favora- 
ble to the use of this beverage. There is, however, another matter to be 
considered. It has been found that tea is not nutritious, and that it actually 
increases the waste of the system. From this it may be inferred that tea is 
not a good drink for those who are dyspeptic and nervous, or those in 
which the waste of tissue is already more rapid than the supply. Dr. Ed- 
ward Smith puts it in this way : ** Tea increases waste, since it promotes the 
transformation of food without supplying any nutriment, and increases 
the loss of heat without supplying fuel. It is, therefore, specially adapted 
to those who eat too much, when the processes of assimilation should be 
quickened, but is less adapted to the poor, the ill-fed, and during fasting." 

Dr. Smith says, tea produces : 

1. A sense of wakefulness. 

2. Clearness of mind and activity of thought and imagination. 

3. Increased disposition to make exertion. 

4. Keaction, with a sense of exhaustion following the preceding effects 
and in proportion to them. 

Analysis of Tea.— The active principle of tea is a substance called 
theine. One hundred parts of tea contain : 



Volatile oil 

Chlorophyi 

Wax 

Resin 

Gum 

Tannin 

Theine 

Extractive matter 
Coloring matter. . . 

Albumen 

Wood fiber ... . . . . 



Hyson. 
Green. 


0-79 


2 22 


28 


2-22 


8 53 


17-80 


1-08 


22'80 


2360 


300 


17-08 



Congou. 
Black. 




1 



3 

7 
12 

3 
21 
19 

2 
283 



The Effecis of Tea on Digestion. 

The effects of tea on digestion have been very carefully studied by Sir 
William Roberts, M. D., F. R. S., and the results arrived at are exceedingly 
important. Tea retards in a marked manner salivary digestion, or the di- 
gestion of starch. Taking 4 minutes as the normal time for digesting 



RECIPES. 237 



starch in a digestine mixture free from tea, one per cent, of tea, it 
required 8 minutes, with 2 per cent. 30 minutes, with 3 per cent. 50 
minutes, with 5 per cent. 180 minutes, and with 10 per cent, there was no 
digestion of the starch. 

The cause of the inhibition of starch digestion by tea is due entirely to 
its tannin, of which good tea contains a large amount. The tannin exists 
in two states, a free and a fixed state. A large portion of it is in the free 
state, in which it is as soluble as sugar, and no matter how short a time it is 
steeped, this free tannin is dissolved. The fixed tannin remains in the 
leaves even after a long steeping. To minimize the effects of tea on starch 
digestion, it should be taken weak and at the end of the meal, after the 
conversion of the starch has been completed. 

The effects of tea on the digestion of albumen by the gastric juice, has 
been carefully studied. If we take 100 minutes as the time for the normal 
gastric digestion of albumen under fixed laboratory conditions, then 10 per 
cent, of tea at 5 per cent, strength, delays it only 15 minutes; but, if 20 
per cent, of tea be used, thea digestion will be delayed 40 minutes. There 
was no difference in the effects of the tea, whether steeped 2, 3, 5, or 30 
minutes. 

Taking tea at the last part of the meal does not prevent its retarding 
effects on the digestion of albumen. 

These experiments, of course, were made in the laboratory, where the 
processes of nature were closely imitated, but in the stomach they would 
be modified by the rapid absorption of the tea into the circulation. 

From what is now known, tea, if taken strong, cannot fail to be a 
prolific source of indigestion, and also the many headaches with which so 
many civilized human beings are tormented. 



PRACTICAL HINTS 

CONCERNING XHE USE OF" TEA, 



1. Whoever uses tea should use it weak and in moderation. 

2. It should be taken during the last part of a meal, so as not to interfere 
with the digestion of the starch, but not before eating, or between 
meals, or on an empty stomach. 

3. Those who suffer with weak nerves, should not use tea. 

4. Those who are troubled with inability to sleep at night, should not use 
tea, except in the morning. 

5- Brain workers should not goad their brains to overwork by the use 
of tea. 

6. Dyspeptics should avoid its use. 

7. Children should not use it. 

8. The overworked and underfed should not use tea. 

9. It is better without milk and sugar. 

10. Its use should be at once abandoned when harm comes from it 9 



238 



RECIPES. 



Tea Drunkards.— One word seems necessary in regard to tea drunkards. 
Their number is legion ; they are of both sexes, but there are more women 
than men. Instead of using it in moderation, or as an occasional bever- 
age, they take it three or more times a day, in quantities that are incom- 
patible with health . They are as much slaves to the teapot as the drunkard 
is to his bottle. They are tea drunkards. Tea, in anything but modera- 
tion, is a poison capable of ruining the stomach, enfeebling and disordering 
the heart's action, shattering the nerves, and ruining the health. A tea 
drunkard may be denned as one who drinks strong tea several times a day, 
who depends on it instead of food and rest for strength, and who cannot 
go without it without bringing on distressing symptoms. 



COFFEE. 



0*80 



Caffeine 

Caff etannate of Caffeine 

and Potassium 3"50 to 5*00 

Ash... 6*70 

Viscid and Aromatic 

Oils 0*003 



The active principle of coffee is called caffeine. It composition is as 
follows : 

Cellulose 34*00 

Water 12*00 

Fat 10*00to 13*00 

Glucose, dextrine and 

organic acids ... 15*50 

Legumen, Cusein and 

other nitrogenous 

substances 13*00 

Caffeine is analogous to theine in composition. 

Coffee produces effects very similar to tea, and the. same general rules are 
applicable for its use. It, like tea, powerfully effects the respiration, in- 
creasing the quantity of carbonic acid expired and air inspired. Coffee 
differs from tea in its effects by increasing the rate of respiration but not 
its depth, and by increasing the rate of pulsation, and diminishing the 
action of the skin. Those who suffer with a dry skin, palpitation of the 
heart, or other forms of heart disease, are particularly liable to harm 
from the continued use of coffee. It is more suited to the wants of the 
poor and debilitated than tea, and it is more appropriate for the breakfast 
meal than afterwards. 

Its effects on digestion have been experimentally and carefully tested by 
Sir William Roberts, with the following results: 

One per cent, of coffee, 5 per cent, strength, 4 minutes being the normal 
time, retards salivary digestion 4 minutes. Up to 20 per cent, there was no 
more retardation in the digestion of starch than this, showing that it has 
much less retarding effect than tea. The effects, however, on gastric 
digestion were not different from those of tea, as has been stated pre- 
viously. 

The strong black coffee given at the end of the meal with all elaborate din- 
ners, and especially in French restaurants to promote digestion, in labora- 



RECIPES. 



239 



tory experiments actually retards it. If there is any reason why the same 
effects are not produced in the stomach, they are at present unknown. 



COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. 



Cocoa and chocolate have, for their active principle, theobromine, a sub- 
stance very similar in its effects to caffeine and theine. The formula for 
theabromine isC7. H8. N4. 02. 

The analysis of the cacao bean gives in 100 parts : 



Theobromine 0.56 

Cacao , 6.61 

Cacao butter 36.97 

Gluten 3.20 

Starch.... 0.55 

Gum 0.69 



Extractive matter 4.14 

Humicacid 7.25 

Woody Matter 30.00 

Salts 3.00 

Water 6.01 



Dr. Edward Smith says of cocoa : " Its action is less exciting- to the ner- 
vous system than tea or coffee, and at the same time it contains a much 
larger portion of nutritive material. Boiled in milk, it may produce a most 
agreeable and nutritious food, and for very many persons is greatly to be 
preferred to tea or coffee." 

Cocoa affects salivary or starch digestion in the same way that coffee 
does, or only slightly ; of equal strength its effects on gastric digestion are 
about the same as tea and coffee, but as it is rarely used so strong as these 
drinks, its general effect upon digestion is only slight. 

Cocoa is a very rich drink, and, if taken continuously, produces heavi- 
ness and dullness, consequently it is better when such effects are noticed, 
to cease using it for a time. 



APPENDIX. 



TABLE I. Blythe. 

Percentage Composition of Various Animal Flesh or Meat. 



Water. 



Nitro- 
genous 

sub- 
stances. 



Fat. 



Nitrogen 
free ex- 
tractive 
matter. 



Ash. 



Bacon fat, salted and dried 

( minimum . 
Beef, (fat) ■] maximum . 
( mean . 

minimum 
maximum 
mean 



Beef, (moder- 
ately fat) 



Beef, (lean) 



Mutton 



minimum 
maximum 
; mean 
Fowl . . . 
Hare .... 
Kidney, (Sheep's). . 
( very fat 
1 moderately fat 
Pig's Liver .... 
( minimum . 
Pork, (fat) -J maximum 
( mean 
( minimum 
Pork, flean) -j maximum 

( mean. 
Tripe .... 

i (lean) . 
Eggs, (hen's) 
Egg albumen (white) . 
Egg, yelk of (yellow) 



13*9 

3249 

73-50 

54-76 

68*50 

78-00 

72*25 

75-21 

78-16 

76*71 

70*82 

74*16 

78-60 

47*91 

74-79 

72*37 

40-27 

54-63 

47*40 

69-32 

76-14 

72-18 

67*1 

72*31 

78*82 

73'67 

86-49 

50.79 



9-0 


74.1 




10-87 


5-80 




19-94 


56 11 




26*93 


27 23 




16-99 


100 




25-03 


986 




21*39 


519 




20*18 


061 




22*17 


346 




20-61 


150 




22-65 


311 


233 


23*34 


113 


019 


16*56 


3 33 


021 


14-80 


36 39 


005 


1811 


5'77 




18-65 


566 


181 


1255 


28-03 




16-58 


46 71 




14-54 


3734 




17*32 


373 




24*47 


11-77 




19*91 


681 




13-3 


17 1 




18*88 


7 41 


0-07 


19-86 


0-82 




12-55 


035 




1T67 


025 




16-24 


3175 


013 



30 

075 

153 

108 

075 

20.2 

117 

114 

120 

118 

109 

118 

130 

085 

1 33 

1-51 

047 

107 

0-72 

098 

164 

110 

2-50 

1-33 

050 

112 

059 

1-09 



24:2 



APPENDIX. 



TABLE II. 

Percentage Composition of Fish. 



— — 


Water. 


Nitro- 
genous 

sub- 
stances. 


Fat. 


Nitro- 
gen free 
and ex- 
tractive 
matter. 


1 

| Ash. 

i 
1 


Codfish .... 


77*50 


1850 


3-00 




J -oo 


Eels . . 


79*91 


13-57 


5*02 


0*£9 


1*13 


Gudgeon .... 


76'89 


17*37 


268 




3*44 


f fresh . 


80-71 


10-11 


711 




2*07 


Herrings \ salted . 


47*12 


18*97 


16*67 




17-31 


L smoked 


69-13 


21*12 


8-51 




1-24 


Lamprey .... 


51*21 


20*18 


25 59 


1*61 


1*41 


( fresh . 
Mackerel < 

( salted 


68*27 
48*43 


23*42 
20*82 


6*76 
14*10 


0*38 


1-55 
16*27 


Oyster .... 


89*69 


4*95 


0*37 


2*62 


2'37 


Pike 


77*37 


19*86 


0*79 


1-60 


0*38 


Salmon .... 


71*50 


1875 


6*22 


295 


0*08 


Sardine (preserved) 


51*77 


22*30 


221 




23*72 


Skate 


73*79 


24*03 


0*47 




T71 


Sole 


86*14 


11*94 


0*25 


0*45 


1-22 


Sprat , 


59*89 


22*73 


1594 


0*98 


0-46 


Whiting .... 


82*95 


15*09 


0*38 


0*50 


1*08 



APPENDIX. 



243 



TABLE III. 

Percentage Composition of Milk, Cheese and other 
Dairy Products. 







Casein 








""■ """■""" 


Water. 


and 
albumen 


Fat. 


Milk- 
sugar. 


Ash. 


Milk 


87*55 


3-41 


3 64 


469 


071 


Skim milk 


90*11 


3-37 


046 


5*34 


0*72 


Cream .... 


28-58 


14.} 


67 6J 


2-25 


0x2 








( 


1-77 / 


Devonshire cream . 


28-68 


405 


65-C1 -j 


(La «*tic > 0*49 
acid 32) ) 


Buttermilk - . 


90-62 


3-78 


125 


338 
f Milk' 


065 


Condensed milk (pre- j 








j sugar 




served with the addi- V 


24-42 


1033 


902 


J 12-64 
j (Cane " 


1*93 


tion of cane sugar) . ) 
















suQ^ar 1 




Condensed milk (without I 
any addition) . . ) 


48-59 


17*81 


15*67 


I. 41*66 J 
253 


3500 


Butter .... 


1414 


0*86 


8311 


0-70 


1*19 


Butterine . . . 


1--01 


0*74 


82-03 




5-22 


CHEESE. 












1. Soft Cheeses. 












Fromage de Brie 


51*87 


18-80 


24*83 




500 


Camembert 


51-30 


19-00 


21-50 


3-50 


4*70 


Roquefort (fresh) . 


11-84 


85-43 


1 85 | 


Lactic 
acid 88 


[ 11*84 












American cheese . 


22*59 


87-20 


35-41 




480 


Cheddar cheese 


27-83 


44*47 


24*04 




366 


Dunlop cheese 


33-46 


25-87 


31*86 




3*81 


Gloucester (single) . 


2141 


49- 12 


25*88 




4-09 


Stilton (fresh) 


32-18 


2431 


37-36 


2*22 


3*93 


Gruycre .... 


34*68 


3141 


28*93 


1-13 


3*85 


Gorgonzola . 


43*56 


24-17 


27 95 




4*32 


Parmesan . • 


27.56 


44 08 


1595 


6*69 


5*72 


m cheese . 


48-02 


3265 


8*41 


6*80 


4*12 



2U 



APPENDIX, 



TABLE IV. 



Percentage Composition of Various Flours and Leguminous 

Meals. 







Nitro- 













Water. 


genous 

sub- 
stances. 


Fat. 

• 


Starch, 
&c. 


Woody- 
fibre. 


Ash. 


1. Meal. 














Barley meal 


15-06 


11-75 


171 


70-90 


o-ii 


047 


Buckwheat meal . 


1427 


9-28 


189 


72-46 


0*89 


121 


Maize 














Oatmeal . 


10*46 


15*50 


6.11 


63-67 


2*24 


202 


Bye meal . 


14*24 


10*97 


195 


69*74 


1-62 


148 


Wh eaten flour (fine) 


14-86 


8' 91 


111 


74*18 


0-33 


061 


" " (seconds) 


12*18 


11-27 


122 


73*65 


0-84 


0*84 


2. Starch. 










. 




Arrowroot 


16*52 


C-88 




82*41 




019 


Maize starch . 


11-90 


2*37 




85*30 




43 


Sago ... 


12*89 


0-81 




86-11 




019 


Tapioca . 


133 


0*63 




85*95 




012 


Wheat starch . 


11-30 


1-12 




87-05 




53 


Macaroni (stars) . 


14*01 


8-69 


032 


76*49 




49 


M (pipe) 


1586 


8-19 


29 


75*06 




60 


3. Leguminous Seeds. 














Beans (fresh & green) 


86-10 


4-67 


030 


6-eo 


1-69 


064 


" (dried) . 


14-84 


23-66 


1 63 


49-25 


7*47 


315 


Peas (green) . 


80-49 


575 


050 


10.86 


1-60 


80 


" (dried) . 


14-31 


22-63 


172 


53'24 


5*45 


265 


" (shelled) . 


1273 


21-12 


0*82 


60*94 


2-64 


1-75 


Pea meal (dried) . 


8*12 


28-10 


297 


50-17 

1 a 1 ' 20 ' 1 

•< Sugar f 

I 6-82 J 

54-78 


8*02 


255 


Kidney beans . 


88-36 


2'77 


14 


1-14 


057 


Lentils . 


12-51 


24 81 


185 


3-58 


247 


Millet . . . 


11.26 


11*29 


3 56 


67-33 


4-25 


231 



APPENDIX. 



TABLE V. 

Pekcentage Composition of Succulent Vegetables. 





Water 


o » 

© s 


Fat. 


Carbohydrates. 


Woody 
fibre. 






Sugar. 


O 1 

C20 


Ash. 








1* 






Hi 






Asparagus 


9333 


1-98 


0*28 


0-40 


2-34 


1-14 


0*54 


Beet i common • 
1 sugar . 


87'88 


1-07 


011 


6*55 


2-43 


1-02 


0*94 


83 91 


2-08 


O'll 


9*31 


2-41 


1-14 


1-04 


Cabbages 


89-97 


1*89 


0*20 


2-29 


2-58 


1-84 


1-23 


Carrots 


87-05 


1-04 


0*21 


6*74 


2-60 


1-46 


0*90 


C "^ & • . 


81-57 


4-64 


0*79 


1*26 


7-87 


1-41 


2*46 


89-57 


0-88 


0-34 


0-62 


5-94 


1-24 


1*41 


Cauliflower . 


90*39 


2*53 


0-38 


1*27 


3*74 


0-87 


0*82 


f dried and { 
Chicory^ roasted f 


10 69 


6*29 


1-52 


15*54 


55-00 


6*11 


4*85 


I fresh . 


75 69 


1*01 


0*49 


3*44 


17*62 


0-97 


0*78 


Cucumber 


95 60 


1*02 


0*09 


0*95 


1-33 


0*62 


0*39 


Gar lick (leaves and I 
stalks • J 


90-82 


2-10 


0*44 


0-81 


3-74 


1-27 


0*83 


Horse-radish • 


76-72 


2*73 


0-35 




15 89 


2*78 


1*53 


Lettuce • • 


94-33 


1-41 


0*31 




2-19 


0*73 


1-03 


Onions (bulbs) . 


6466 


6*76 


0*06 




26-31 


0*77 


1-44 


Parsley • 


85-05 


366 


0-22 


0'75 


6*69 


1-45 


1-68 


Potatoes . 


75-77 


1-79 


0*16 




20*56 


0-75 


0*97 


Radishes 


9334 


1*23 


0*15 


0-88 


2-91 


0*75 


0*74 


Savoys 


87-09 


3*31 


0-71 


1-29 


4-73 


1-23 


1*64 


Spinach . 


90 26 


3*15 


0*54 


0-08 


3*26 


0-77 


1-94 


Turnips 


85-01 


2*95 


0.22 


0*40 


8*45 


1*76 


1-21 


Water-melon 


95 21 


1-06 


0-60 


0-27 


1-16 


1-07 


0-63 



246 



APPENDIX. 



TABLE VI. 

Percentage Composition of Fruits. 



Cellu- 
lose 
and 

seeds 



Almonds 

Apple . 
Apricot . 
Bilberry , 
Blackberry 

Chestnut . 
Cherry . 
+ Cocoa nut, 
solid part 
Currant, . 
Damson 

Figs (as sold) 

Filberts 

Gooseberries 

Grapes 

Mulberries 

Oranges 

Peach 

Pears . 

Plums 



6-5G 1 


296 


1*98 


031 


5*27 


0'82 


12-29 


1-02 


5'21 


0'48 


1'61 


172 


6-07 


073 


? 


1*55 




0-72 
0.71 



r 

0-42 

0*53 



0-49 

0-69 

31 

0C6 



Raisins 

Raspberries . 
Strawberries • 

Walnuts * ■ .. • 

" * The free acid which gives the .sourness to fruits lis different ; in Mtennt 
fruits. The chief free acid of the ^^.V^VUim^ ^gS^SsaSSlemoiiB. 
ttSff^tSSSSSSmWSSE Vh. acidity is due to a 

m «al°ut r iX^ 

nitrogen-free extractive matters 6-78, ash 1U per cent. 



681 
















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. 



. 












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1 

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